Back in the System
by PaperKat
Summary: Set in Angel Grove 2002. Centers on Kim, Jason and Tommy. Old mysteries bring new questions and discoveries. Part 5 up
1. 1: Jason Remembers

Standard fanfiction disclaimers: I don't own the characters much to my dismay. I have not intentionally tried to steal anyone's idea, though I haven't as of yet seen anyone else with quite this take on the 'why the letter was written' or my big question 'why the hell was Jason acting so weird after the volcano blew'? This story centers on Jason, Kim and Tommy (though Tommy doesn't show up until chapter 5). I will have some original characters show up at some point, but please don't use them without asking first.

Back in the System

A Power Rangers Story

Part One: Jason Remembers

By PaperKat

Jason Lee Scott leaned against his new maroon SUV patiently waiting, or more accurately he gave the impression that he was patiently waiting. Actually he was a bundle of excitement and nerves. It had taken everything Jason had to calmly dismiss his class, take a shower, and change then come to downtown Stone Canyon to pick-up his old comrade in arms. He knew he was early, but he hadn't wanted to take the chance of not finding a parking space to await his friend. His companions however were not as passive. Rocky queried for the fifth time in less than ten minutes the time. Jason rolled his eyes and grinned, though the occupants inside could not see him. 

He still questioned the wisdom of letting the ex-blue Zeo ranger come with him, but after Rocky found out whom he was going to pick up it was nigh impossible for him to stop DeSantos from coming. Jason wasn't truly upset at his co-worker. He _had_ wanted this to be a private visit since it was going to be less than 24 hours, but he couldn't begrunge Rocky this chance to hook-up with an old friend. Even if it did ruin his plans to get some of his questions answered. Poor Adam had just been dragged along for the ride. Though Jason could see the ex-green ranger's excitement at being able to see their old friend and teammate. Adam Park groaned loudly at his long time friend's often asked question.

"Would you just settle down?" the young Asian man asked.

"Hey, can't I be excited about seeing a friend that I haven't seen in forever?"

This time it was Jason that groaned. He turned away from building he had been watching with an expectant eye and glared good naturally at his one-time replacement through the open backseat window. 

"Rocky, the two of you talked on the phone just two nights ago for _hours_." Jason reminded, highly amused at the idea of Rocky talking to anyone over the phone for any length of time..

Adam chuckled at Rocky's returning grimace. "Yes, listening to you go on and on. I miss you, when are you coming home, I miss you, what are you bringing me from London, I miss y…"

The ex-green ranger didn't get to finish his teasing as his friend attacked him. Rocky barreled into his backseat companion forcing Adam into the opposite door rocking the large SUV. Adam retaliated as best he could by grabbing fistfuls of Rocky's gi top, which he had not changed out of after his last class, and rolling towards the front seat trying to force his friend into the floorboard. The two continued to struggle jolting the vehicle from side to side as they each tried to get an advantage over the other. Jason just folded his arms across his chest and laughed at the two of them. He knew he should stop them, his father would have a coronary if he knew what his friends were doing in the back of Jason's college graduation present, but the original red ranger didn't have the heart. A sudden jolt raced up his spine and Jason knew that he had company.

"They say, if the house is rockin' don't come knockin', but this _is_ my only way home."

Jason snapped his gaze to his right, stunned to find that the person that he was waiting for standing next to him and looking amused at the antics going on inside the SUV. Equally astonishing was the flood of emotions that he felt upon seeing her. He had been expecting something, but not to this degree.

"Kim!" Jason exclaimed as he wrapped his massive arms around the petite woman, trapping her arms to her sides, picking her up and swinging her around. Lightheaded with relief Jason had to put Kimberly down before he made them both fall over.

All motion in the vehicle had stopped at Jason's surprised yell, but as soon as what he had said registered the rocking increased as both combatants fought to be the first one out the door. Jason and Kimberly laughed outright as friendly name-calling and grunts of effort could be heard from inside. Kimberly turned to her long time friend and one-time leader and smiled warmly. So intense was the emotion shining in her eyes, that Jason actually thought that he was going to blush. Was she feeling the same strange, yet not unwelcome, rush of feelings he was? His hands were still on the ex-pink ranger's upper arms so it was easy for her to step into his personal space, wrap her slender arms around his waist under his opened black leather jacket and bury her face into his blood red shirt.

"I've missed you." She said softly with more reverence than the simple hug suggested.

His throat too tight to talk, Jason returned the emotional embrace, engulfing her petite shoulders with his arms and pressing his face to her hair. Five years, it had been five years since he'd seen her face to face, heard her voice without the crackle of an overseas phone line. To finally see her with his own eyes, to assure himself that she was well and alive the feeling was nearly overwhelming. Not since the whole fiasco with Divatox and Maligore had he even been on the same continent with his closest female friend.

Muiranthias and the days leading to that ill-fated visit home had left Jason with so many questions that needed answers. Muiranthias… the thought of that island still brought a shiver to his soul. It has been all his fault that Kim had been put in that situation. If had hadn't of insisted that she come with him on that outing they would have never gotten Divatox's attention. 

It chilled him to the bone to think about that moment that Kim's shirt had gotten snagged, to think that she might have… Jason banished that thought quickly and pulled Kimberly closer to feel her warmth. Then when he had seen that she had been recaptured, his heart had stopped, he had failed her. Even worse than that memory was the one when Maligore had twisted their souls with his power. 

He and Kim had always been close. Their connection to each other had been instantaneous upon sight across the crowded play yard and had only gotten stronger over the years, but while under the influence of the Flame of Destruction he had been connected to Kim like he never knew was possible. 

He had been able to hear her thoughts and feel her flame twisted emotions as if they were his own. Divatox had called them the Children of Maligore and maybe that was enough to explain what had happened, but Jason wasn't so sure, because when Lerigot had freed Kim it was like she had died to him. The constant flow of her thoughts had instantly stopped and white-hot rage consumed him. He had been ready to destroy all of them for taking her from him, until the reality of her assumed death sank in and he faltered. That's when Tommy got the better him, flipping him over into the mouth of the volcano. 

How could this thing that had existed between him and Kim had been from an inherently evil creature like Maligore if it caused him so much pain to be separated from her? Shouldn't he have hated her along with the others once she was freed from the spell?

He had struggled against Tommy's help while dangling over the lava, not because he viewed him as his enemy, but because he had wanted to join Kim in oblivion. There had been no reason for his continued existence if she was gone. When he had seen her face appear over the ridge of the volcano he had been so confused. He could see her, feel her hands helping Tommy to pull him up, but her soul wasn't with his any longer. It had been at that moment that the volcano had exploded and the three of them had been blown clear. In a daze he had wandered around looking for her. 

The battle had continued on around him, but he hadn't cared. All that had been important to him had been finding Kimberly. Across the chamber he had seen her just as he had that first day in kindergarten, but the connection was gone and without it he was lost. She had seen him the same moment that he had seen her and she had made as if to come to him then she had been attacked. Lerigot and his wife had freed him from Maligore's control before he had a chance to cry out to her.

Jason could still vividly remember the feeling of elation in his soul as he felt Kim's presence in his mind once again. It was the same as what he was feeling now as he held her and knew that she was safe, just on a much grander scale. He hadn't had a chance to question it at them time on Muiranthias because some of Divatox's goons had been harassing Kimberly and a new feeling had come over him, protect her at all cost and destroy all that harmed her. 

The rest of the day had been a blur, far too many things happening at once to focus on any one thing or feeling. He had gone home to his parents' house and crashed hard. He had written off all that he had felt as another one of those things that happen when you're a teenage superhero. Then the tournament had been the next morning.

At the match he had been hit by a sense of such excitement and pride that he had been able to perform far beyond his expectations considering the difficulties he had experienced after the Gold Ranger powers and the mess the previous day. After they had won, the stage had been rushed by their friends, but in the crush of bodies he had instantly found Kim. She had grabbed his hands and the jolt of pure emotional energy had sent him on a high like he'd never known. Boosted by it, he had continued to celebrate with everyone else not noticing until it was too late that Kimberly had left.

To this day he still didn't know what had lead Kimberly to separate herself from her friends before and after that day. Why had she done it? What was it that was never said or talked about that made Kim keep herself from them? 

Of course they had Kim to thank for the renewed closeness of the older retired rangers. When Zordon was gone all of his former charges had felt the tremor in their souls and without being told they knew what had happened. But it was Kim that had taken it upon herself to track down every member of the old teams, pushing, pulling and in some cases dragging them out of there individual seclusion to be the family group they had once been. Kimberly had gone from being the most isolated of the gang to being the major information relay between them. She had even hunted down Andros to insure that he knew that none of the former rangers resented him or blamed him for what had to be done. And it was this new friendship that she had gained through the striped haired ranger that had given them the ability to contact Billy on a fleeting, but regular basis.

But five years ago, Kimberly had skillfully avoided all questions concerning her life in Florida and her break-up with Tommy or any personal information. No matter how Jason had tried he could not get Kim to open up to him which had been a totally new experience for him, and one that had hurt him deeply. 

Ever since the day they met in kindergarten they had never kept secrets from each other. It had been like they had known each other all their lives, but had been separated. As five-year-olds they really hadn't noticed the depth of their connection until it had been tested. 

When Zach had moved into town when they were nine she had told him point blank that she didn't like that the new boy had been taking up so much of his after school time. Now that he was an adult he realized that Kimberly had been jealous of Jason's newest friend but at the time he had been totally mystified as to why Kimberly had thought that Zach was stealing his friendship away, nothing could ever do that. Nothing could ever replace or come close to the unbelievable rightness that was their friendship. It didn't take long for Zach to charm his way into Kim's heart, however, when the charismatic African American boy had made separate plans for just the two of them, excluding Jason, then it had been his turn to be concerned. The three of them had become the Terrible Trio, at least that's what the teacher use to call them. Then came middle school and the start of all the changes.

The first was actually the summer before the seventh grade when Kimberly's mother decided that her daughter, now eleven, was too old to be having sleepovers with boys and that Kim needed to find herself some female friends. He remembered the day she had come running to his house, crying for all she was worth yelling at him that she didn't want to grow up and be a proper lady and have girl-friends. She wanted to be a boy so that she could still come over anytime she wanted to. His mother had tried to explain to Kim what her mother was trying to tell her, but at the time, all the scared little girl could see was that she was losing her best friend. He had tried to assure her that nothing would change, but to his own astonishment things did change.

It wasn't soon after they had started the seventh grade and he turned twelve that he began to realize what both Kim's mother and his mother had been talking about. Almost overnight he had started noticing that boys and girls were different and that some of the differences were rather unnerving. He began to feel weird when girls were around and caught himself spending more time than usual thinking about them. Half-way through the school year it became clear that the girls and the boys had separated themselves from each other, except for him, Zach and Kimberly.

Kimberly was the very last girl that he noticed as female. Probably because she was a late bloomer compounded with the fact that Kim fought the change tooth and nail every chance she got, much to her mother's chagrin. But he clearly remembered the day that all changed, the day Billy Cranston and Trini Kwan came into their lives. It was funny to think of it now, but Billy was Kimberly's first crush. He had been so different than the boys she was use to, meaning himself and Zach. He was shy, quite, not athletic in the least and completely puppy dog devoted to Trini, his best friend.

Kimberly had made every effort to get close to Billy and the harder she had tried the farther away Billy ran. Until finally she had cornered him and demanded to know why he didn't like her. Upon hearing from Billy that she and her friends scared him and that he just couldn't understand why she wanted to be friends in the first place, Kim had broke down into tears. Jason had had no idea how to help his friend and quite frankly he couldn't understand why it had been so important for Kimberly to have Billy as a friend. She had had him and Zach after all.

Trini had been the one that helped his completely distraught friend. After watching Kimberly try so hard to get Billy to like her, Trini had taken pity on the tiny tomboy and showed her that it was her boyish demeanor that frightened Billy. Kim had been totally intimidated by the well spoken, willowy Asian girl, but had been willing to do anything to get Billy to like her. Within a few weeks the Kim that he had known, that just two months earlier was playing in the woods with him and Zach building a fort, was gone and in her place had been a dainty little girl.

Zach had rolled with the changes easily, totally accepting Kim's new look and attitude without question. Jason had hated it. Not only was Kimberly spending more time with Trini and Billy, hanging on every word the blonde boy had to say, even if she couldn't understand half of it, but it seemed like every boy in the school had taken notice of Kimberly's change. He couldn't remember how many times he had been asked about Kim and what she was like by other boys in his class. They hadn't had any right to know anything about her. It had gotten to the point that was sick of hearing her name all the time. 

After that began the Black Christmas, or so he called it now. Kimberly and him hardly ever talked directly during the winter break that year, by his design. He had been pulled unwillingly into this new group by Zach after Kim had made him a part of her, Billy and Trini, but he never called Kim on the phone during those three weeks and when she had called he didn't call back. He knew now that he had been as jealous of Kim's new friends as she had been of Zach in the beginning, but all he saw at the time was Kimberly changing and he hadn't liked it. She didn't have time for him anymore, or so he had thought until that January.

Soon school had resumed after the break he had had a belt test that he hadn't told any of his friends about. He had been too upset at the time to want them to be there, but he had been in for a rather big surprise. He had completed the test along with ten other boys and had graciously accepted his belt when a very familiar, excited voice could be clearly heard over the polite applause of the parents. He had turned to see Kimberly Anne Hart cheering his name and clamping loudly while jumping on top of the folding chair she must have been sitting in behind the parents and relatives. Billy, Trini and Zach had been there too and he hadn't been able to tell if they were trying to keep Kim from falling off the seat or trying to pull her down off of it as she unwittingly made a scene of herself cheering for him.

From that moment on Jason had known that there would be nothing that would shake the foundation of their friendship. It had taken a lot of work for them to maintain a tight connection with each other. He had still had his karate and Kim had her gymnastics and then she had signed up for cheerleading. He had gone so far as to make the football team so that they would be guaranteed time together since the cheerleading squad and football team practiced at the same time. Besides it helped to reinforce the rumors that the two of them were a couple and helped him to keep most of the more annoying boys away from Kimberly without actually having to say anything to them.

It had seemed that everything was set for them and their little group. Kim, Zach, Billy, Trini and himself were a close nit group that somehow or another found a way to spend time together almost everyday and that only became easier when Kim's parents divorced. Feeling completely betrayed by her parents, Kimberly had turned to her friends and more specifically to him for comfort. She had quit the squad so that she could spend more time with them and he had followed suit quitting the team. Kimberly had totally thrown herself into the group dynamic, making them her family. He and Kim had promised each other that they would always and forever be friends no matter what happened, and it was that promise that Jason used as leverage to get Kim to come with him to Angel Grove to save the shelter.

Shortly after Kim had broken up with Tommy he had lost all contact with her. It had been like a gaping hole inside of him. A feeling of loss and a sense that he had failed her somehow. She had been very hesitant about going. In fact she had flat out turned him down the first time he had asked saying that she wasn't feeling well. After a few phone calls and a bit of manipulation on his part, Jason had convinced her to come. He had known something was very wrong with Kim at the time. She had been weak and listless not at all the girl he remembered that could light up a room with her enthusiasm for life. 

He had intended that scuba diving excursion as a way to get Kim to lighten up so that he could talk to her, but then Divatox interfered. There had been no time during their imprisonment to talk then afterwards had been the competition. It wasn't until Zordon died that she had brought herself out of hiding. Jason was going to make sure that he did get his answers to all of his questions, but now wasn't going to be the time.

"Aww, isn't that sweet!" Adam and Rocky sighed in unison, bringing Jason back to the present, causing him to scowl and Kim to laugh. Time enough later when she moved back to Angel Grove to get his questions answered, now was the time for rejoicing.

Kimberly extracted herself from their hug by ducking under Jason's left arm. Neither Rocky nor Adam had actually made if out of the SUV, both young men had wedged their heads and shoulders through the window. Kim squealed and launched herself at her trapped friends. She grabbed them around the neck, one with each arm, and alternated kisses between the two.

"Oh, how I've missed you guys!"

Jason watched amused at his dear friend's antics. Kimberly had always been very open in her affection for her friends, but her current state of enthusiasm had Adam blushing and even Rocky looked a little pink. Of course that could be the result of the death grip Kim had on their necks he supposed. The former female ranger looked more like the young girl he use to go to school with instead of the woman he knew her to be.

"Looking good, Kim." Rocky commented as she pulled away. Of course Rocky _would_ be the one to notice, Jason thought mildly annoyed.

"You like?" She asked. "Kat picked it out. She said that I should look feminine and professional."

Kimberly made a slow circle before them. Her diagonal plaid skirt of cream, mint and dusty rose came to mid thigh and was partially hidden by the tight fitting vanilla colored turtleneck that was pulled low over her hips. Her duster styled suede leather coat and knee high three-inch boots were a warm honey color. Jason hadn't noticed before but Kimberly's hair was much longer than the last time he'd seen her. It fell to the middle of her back from behind and tapered up to just under her shoulders on the sides. Thick, perfectly even waves showed that she had spent a lot of time on the caramel hued mass that morning.

"Well, I think that Kat hit the mark perfectly," Adam replied with all seriousness. The other two young men agreed with a nod.

"Thanks. I'm out of touch with business fashion so I humbled myself to ask Kat for help. All I ever seem to wear anymore are sweats at the studio, leathers when I'm riding or clubbing clothes when we go out and none of that would have been appropriate for this meeting." Kim quickly turned to Jason to get his full attention. "So whatcha getting me for dinner?"

"Hey! That's my line!" Rocky pouted.

"Snooze you loose. Besides it's been nearly twenty hours since I've eaten and even my boots are starting to look good. How about we swing by Harry's Haven and load up on greasy, grilled burgers and oil dripping fries. Now that I'm away from my personal dietician I feel the need to splurge."

"Kat isn't really that bad, is she?" Adam asked. He seemed amused at Kim's off handed complaint.

"She can be if I let her. After she saw how much I ate on the run or sometimes not at all if I was consumed by a project, she took it upon herself to rescue me from myself. I've never felt better, but sometimes you just need fat, cholesterol and sugar."

"Well, I hate to be the one to give the bad news, but Harry's closed last year." Rocky informed the female ex-ranger with a curiously serious frown.

"How 'bout we order pizza at my apartment?" Jason suggested as he opened the front passenger door and placed Kim's piteously small travel bag and bulging portfolio inside. _She must have not been kidding when she said this was going to be a short visit_, he mused silently.

At his suggestion Kimberly's stomach growled. All three males raised an eyebrow in her direction. "I don't think she's going to be able to wait that long, Jase. How about I'll call ahead and by the time we get to your apartment the pizza will be waiting for us." Adam stated as he unwedged himself from the window to retrieve his cell phone from inside his forest green bomber jacket.

"Don't call Micheal's, their crust sucks. Get Angelo's they make an awesome deep dish, and…" The rest of Rocky's instructions were lost as he pulled his own head inside and rolled up the window.

"Your carriage awaits m'lady," Jason entreated as he offered his hand for her to step up into the tall vehicle. Kim smiled and took his hand, hitching her left leg up to get in. As her short, loose skirt rose up, Jason glimpsed the tail end of a tattoo on the inside of Kim's thigh. Stunned for a moment, he forgot to let go of her hand. Kim softly speaking his name pulled his attention from what looked like a green dragon's head on her lightly tanned thigh to her sparkling brown eyes.

"I'll show you it later."

Jason did blush then, being caught looking at his friend's leg in such a manor. He quickly shut the door, made his way to the diver's side and got behind the wheel. Kim, with a tattoo?! And she hadn't said anything? What on Earth was she doing in London?

"So are you going to tell us or are you going to keep us in suspense?" Rocky asked as he leaned over between the two front seats. "Not that you told us anything to begin with. I had to beat it out of Jase here that you were coming into town for this job interview."

"Well, I did promise Kat that I'd tell her first." Kim hedged.

"Aww, come on Kim! She's a zillion miles away, and we're right here!"

"We could just stay here until you tell us." Jason offered, dangling his keys in front of her. Kim's stomach gave a loud protest and Kim glared at him. It felt too good to return to the easy teasing that they had shared as teenagers.

"You are a cruel, cruel man Jason Lee Scott." Kim huffed like a child, her bottom lip thrust out in a pout. Jason's only response was to jingle the keys. "Fine! Have it your way."

Kim reached into her coat and pulled out a rather space aged looking cell phone and started punching buttons at a furious rate. She waited a moment, then started pressing more buttons at a much slower pace as she hunted for the right ones. Once done she clicked the phone closed and turned to them with a frown. 

Jason watched amused as both Adam and Rocky's faces fell at her serious look. It took all he had to keep his own neutral expression on as Kimberly put on an act for them. He knew his friend well enough to know that she would have never dragged this little scene out if she didn't have good news. Besides, he had an almost enter 'sense' that Kim was just pulling their leg.

"I got the contract." She told them dejectedly as she dropped her eyes to her lap.

"Kim, I'm sorry. I… Wait. Did you say you got the contract?" Adam asked puzzled.

Kim whipped her head up and a killer smile lit her face. "I got the contract. I'm coming home!"

Rocky squealed nearly as loud as Kimberly did as they awkwardly hugged over the top of her seat. Adam gave an enthusiastic 'All right' as he too tried to join in the embrace. Jason only chuckled as he started the SUV. He couldn't keep the smile off his face as he pulled out into traffic with only one thought on his mind. _It's about damn time!_


	2. 2: Rocky's Observations

Standard fanfiction disclaimers: I don't own the characters much to my dismay. I have not intentionally tried to steal anyone's idea, but I did just finish 'Chatting' by Scarlet Deva and Ozmandayus and Kim's new career for both my fic and their fic are startling similar. How the heck did that happen? This story centers on Jason, Kim and Tommy (though Tommy doesn't show up until chapter 5). I will have some original characters show up at some point, but please don't use them without asking first.

Back in the System

A Power Rangers Story

Part Two: Rocky's Observations

By PaperKat

Rocky couldn't take his eyes off of her, or more accurately Kim's tattoo. After arriving at Jason's apartment, with a quick detour to the gym both he and Jason taught classes, to pick up Rocky's ancient truck, Kimberly had immediately excused herself to change. In place of the beautiful, professional woman that had greeted them at Jason's SUV was a stunning knockout co-ed that would have had Rocky on his knees drooling if she hadn't have been such a close friend. Of course her being a friend and teammate hadn't stopped him from looking before. He had just been more cautious about it because of Tommy. 

Kim's outfit was one he knew well because he had been the one to purchase it for her. Last Christmas, as a joke to all of Rocky's female ex-teammates, he had sent them an "Official Angel Grove University Co-ed Weekend Lounge Outfit" that consisted of impossibly short shorts that cut up the sides like running shorts and a miniscule sleeveless crop top. All the girls had sent him a gag gift in return. Kat had sent him a set of male ballet tights, Aisha gave him something that looked suspiciously like a real loincloth, Tanya sent him a male co-ed calendar from Boston University and Kim sent him the tinniest thong underwear that he had ever seen.

Rocky had never dreamed that any of the girls would actually wear the short and shirt set, it had only been a joke, but here was Kimberly Anne Hart sitting on the island between Jason's living/dining room and kitchen modeling the sexy outfit. Her mussed up waved hair was pulled back away from her make-up free face by two clips on either side of her temples, a mostly devoured pizza slice in one hand and a half-empty beer in the other.

She had long since shown off her tattoo. As soon as Adam had seen it his surprised gape had caught Kim's attention. The ex-pink ranger had proudly displayed the artwork of her own design. It covered her left leg in a "S" like fashion from the outside of her hip, across the upper thigh, to about midway down her inner thigh. The whole tattoo was mostly grayscale with hints of color threw out to give each of the animals their signature color. 

The base of the entire piece was a red and a green dragon (done in the Asian style) joined at the tails in a friendship knot. The head of the red dragon was at Kim's hip and the green dragon's head was on the inside of her thigh. On the shoulders of the red dragon was a standing black lion that almost seemed to smile at you. On the back of the red dragon was a blue wolf curled up contently gazing up as if looking to the sky. On the hips of the red dragon was a playful yellow sabertooth tiger ready to pounce on the simple unsuspecting pink crane that was nesting on the tail of the dragon. On the other side of the friendship knot formed by the two dragon's tails was a white and pink cat also crouching to jump across the knot to topple the crane. Behind the cat on the green dragon's hips was a sitting yellow bear, it's arms crossed over it's chest as if watching the two cats play. On the back of the green dragon was a rather large regal looking black frog with asymmetrical green spots all over it's body. Finally, on the shoulders of the dragon was a red ape that looked all the world like it was riding the dragon like a horse in a rodeo.

Kim had told them that it was her permanent reminder of her friends and her time as a ranger. From the wistful tone in her voice, Rocky guessed that like him it was both a fond and a painful remembrance. He wouldn't trade a moment of his time as a ranger with a moment of his non-ranger life, but sometimes you just ached for the old days. The inseparable bond you shared as teammates, relying on each other for your very life on a daily basis had a way of making people closer than family. Once you gave up the power, gave up your place on the team you died a little knowing that someone else was taking your roll, becoming another member of the family without you. 

"So, when did you get that?" Rocky queried pointing in the general direction of her left leg with his own pizza slice trying to pull away from his melancholy thoughts. "You didn't mention it last time we talked."

"Yeah, I would have thought that would have been front page news in the 'Ranger Newsletter'" Jason teased.

The 'Ranger Newsletter' was what the rest of them affectionately called Kim's almost weekly emails, phone calls and letters. It was almost comical the way she 'reported' events of the other ex-rangers lives to the ones that were 'out of the loop'.

"Oh hush you," Kim playfully snapped back. "Well, it wasn't finished until recently and I didn't want to show it off until it was done. Some of the colors took a little more convincing to stay put than others especially across the scar tissue, but Jerry's been working on it for about three months now."

"Three months?!" Adam exclaimed with a shutter.

"Scar tissue?" Jason asked seriously as he pushed away from his kitchen counter to move closer, a frown marring his face. Kim rolled her eyes at the two of them and grabbed another slice from the box next to her to replace the one she had just finished. 

"You remember Jase. The bike accident I had early last year. The one that totaled my bike." She reminded them nonchalantly as she took a huge bite out of her pizza. Jason didn't look the least bit reassured. 

Rocky remembered well Kat's frantic midnight phone call to inform him of Kimberly's accident. Kim had been coming home from her studio to the apartment loft that they had shared for two year when of all things a vegetable truck had overturned in front of her. Kimberly had been forced to ditch the bike in order not to run full on into the side of the vehicle. Rocky remembered staying up the rest of the night, making calls and waiting by the phone to see if Kimberly had been all right.

"I thought you said that you didn't get seriously hurt?" Rocky asked gruffly, his own scowl matching that of Adam and Jason.

"Oh come on you guys!" Kim all but groaned as she tossed her empty beer bottle over her shoulder into the trash were it clanked loudly against the others that were there.

"Kim." Jason said threateningly in a leader voice far more commanding than Tommy's had ever been. Having never had Jason as his leader, the tone in his voice was almost alien to Rocky. He had only known him as a friend and teammate. The tone seemed to strike a cord in Kimberly because she immediately straightened and the teasing left her voice.

"Look it wasn't that serious. I got a mild concussion and my left leg and lower back got a little banged up, that's all." 

Kim plopped her slice back in the pizza box and leaned forward. She hooked her thumb in the waistband of her shorts in the back and pulled them down enough so that they could see the beginnings of her scars across her lower back. Rocky swallowed hard. He wasn't sure if it was the thought of the pain Kim must of felt at receiving those pink/white scars that crisscrossed her otherwise perfect skin or the fact that Kim had exposed more of her backside for them to see. 

"I didn't break anything and the hospital didn't even hold me overnight. Besides don't you think that Kat would have told you guys if it was anything really bad?"

All three of them conceded the point and backed off. It was still hard to picture tiny Kimberly as a hog riding, motorcycle momma, even with the pictures she had sent of her all decked out in her riding leathers beside her bike. Of course it was kind of hard thinking of Kimberly as the real person behind the famous, but completely reclusive, science fiction fantasy artist known as 'Joseph St. John' with her own studio in London. 

Adam, having already finished his own dinner, attempted to help Jason clean up. As he started to pull the half-empty pizza box away, Kim flattened her hand in the lid and growled. Adam quickly snatched his hands back and held them up in surrender mumbling 'Rocky Jr.' under his breath. Kim just stuck her tongue out at him and proceeded to, in classic Rocky fashion, fold her slice in hand in half and shove it as far into her mouth as possible without choking. Jason busted out laughing watching Kimberly's cheeks balloon out as she tried to contain it contents while she chewed. Adam silently reprimanded her with the same look he would have given Rocky for the same stunt.

"So what exactly is this contract for?" Rocky asked, trying to save his female friend from the lecture that Adam was bound to give her when she finished.

"Moobe dihind," she stated around a mouthful that made Adam narrow his eyes and Jason laugh harder.

"Cool." Rocky stated knowing exactly what she had said. At his ex-teammates puzzled looks, he shrugged his shoulders and repeated for them. "Movie Design."

Kim nodded her head that Rocky was correct and took another large bite. She eagerly pantomimed for Jason to get her another drink completely ignoring Adam's slack-jawed disbelief. Even Jason seemed a little taken back by her request, but complied anyway. Rocky couldn't understand either of the other two young men's reactions. All Kimberly had asked for was a second beer. She wasn't a little girl anymore, and if Kat could be believed the two of them had torn up the London nightlife a time or two while they had lived there. But if he thought about it, none of them had seen Kim in person since she was twenty-one. Jason had known the ex-pink ranger since she was five so it might be hard for him to see her as all grown up, and Adam had a hard time seeing any female as anything but sweet and demure, excluding when they were kicking putty butt. Given all that, the tattoo, and the reminder of her motorcycling hobby maybe he could see why Kim's behavior was startling compared to the girl they use to know that said 'Eeww' to every other monster they had to fight.

"So what does a Movie Designer do?" Rocky asked, once again trying to get focus off of Kim's actions.

"Think of it like this. I am to the movie studio what Finster was to Rita."

"You create monsters for them?" Adam asked.

"Exactly. Here I'll show you." Kim looked over her shoulder at Jason. "Where'd you put my portfolio Jase?"

"It's on the table." Jason replied, indicating the kitchen table in the dining room/living room combo that none of them had sat at while they ate.

Kim hopped from her perch and motioned for them to follow. "A month ago the studio contacted Joseph St. John's publicists to see if he recommended anyone with a good eye for unusual creature designs." Kim stopped her story long enough to lock-in the combinations on her portfolio case and flip it open. "Well, him being me recommended _me_! They give me a basic storyline and a guideline on what they wanted and I came up with this."

As soon as Kim flipped to the first sketch Jason's phone rang. Excusing himself he went to retrieve his cordless on the coffee table. Kim began showing Adam and Rocky her designs that were complete with backgrounds, weapons and in some cases vehicles. Rocky gaped openly at his friend's skill. Every sketch was so lifelike despite being creatures that could only possibly exist by magic, which all of them being ex-ranger were far too familiar with. She was in the middle of explaining a particular creature's attributes when Jason thrust the phone in her face.

"You better take this. I think you're in trouble." Jason didn't answer Kim's questioning frown, but the clearly audible Australian accented voice on the line did.

"Bloody yes she's in trouble. Little Ratbag."

Rocky saw Kimberly cringe as she gingerly took the phone and placed it cautiously to her ear. He felt a wave of pity for the girl, Kat could have quite a temper when she put her mind to it. Kim barely got out a 'Hey Kat' before she was pulling the receiver from her ear and a flood of heavily accented terminology poured out. Once the tirade was over Kimberly tried once again to pacify her friend.

"I tried Kat. Really I did. That's why I messaged you." There was another pause as Kat said her peace and then Kim replied. "But they blackmailed me!" Rocky exchanged worried glances with his cohorts in crime. "They weren't going to let me eat unless I told." Kim gave them all an evil grin as she handed Jason the phone back and told him smugly. "She wants to talk to you."

'Uh, Kat…' was all he got out before they could hear the muffled telling out he was getting from London.

"But I…We didn't… No, but I… Adam and Rocky…" Jason stammered as he uselessly gestured in the two mentioned ex-rangers. "But we _did _feed her as soon as we got back. We got her exactly what she wanted." 

Rocky looked from Jason's amused face as he grinned wickedly to Kim's panic-stricken look. The petite female tried desperately to get the phone away from her dark haired friend as he skillfully avoided her attempts. Up until that moment Rocky had forgotten that Kimberly was clad in that provocative outfit he sent her for Christmas. As she pounced around Jason trying to get the phone, her oh-so perfectly trim and curved body peeked out of behind the minimal confines. The generous curve of her behind, the gentle swell of the underside her breast, and when she jumped Jason pushing him to the couch straddling his hips, Rocky just about lost it.

Man! How could Jason seem so… unaffected as one of the more attractive women he had ever known in person was wiggling on top of him? Again Rocky wondered that perhaps Jason and Kimberly knowing each other since kindergarten quelled all remotely sexually thoughts about each other from their minds. Jason just smiled on as Kim fought with him for the phone. When the original red ranger tried to speak to Kat again Kimberly pounced from Jason's hips to his solar plexus using all of her petite weight to force the air from his lungs. Jason grunted harshly then quickly grabbed both of Kim's small wrists in one massive hand to control her movements.

"As soon as we were able we got Kim the biggest, deep dish pizza we could find." Jason continued over the phone to the ex-pink ranger in England when he had Kimberly under control.

Kim groaned in defeat as she dropped her head to Jason's chest, trapping their hands between them. Rocky silently wished that he had been the one to answer the phone. The unquestionably amused dark haired man beneath the ex-gymnast chuckled silently as he listened to the other end of the conversation on the cordless. It was with great amusement that Jason forced Kim up into an upright position and gave her back the phone. 

"She wants to talk to you again."

Kim snatched the phone from her ex-leader and fixed him with a glare before responding. "You are pure, unadulterated, sadistic evil." 

Jason sat up, causing Kim to slide down into his lap as he bent forward. "Takes one to know one."

In an instant everything changed. A sudden spark of something passed between the two friends. Rocky looked over at Adam and realized that the ex-green ranger had seen it too, but was as clueless as he was as to what had just happened. Turning his attention back to the two on the couch, Rocky saw that the light hearted mood between the two had completely vanished and in it's place was a strange sort of anxiety. Jason looked like he was about to say something when Kimberly practically leapt from the couch and began speaking into the phone.

"Don't worry Kat it was a pizza with everything. Vegetables and all, plus I had two beers so all that fat was dissolved instantly." 

Kimberly laughed at what was obviously a shared joke with her former replacement. Turning her back on the three males in the room, Kim made her way to the kitchen area to continue her conversation. Rocky looked back at Adam to see if his long time friend thought that Kimberly's behavior seemed strange to him as well. The young Asian man shrugged and turned his attention to Jason.

"What was that about?" Adam asked, not bothering to clarify exactly what it was he was asking. 

"I don't know." Jason told them seeming dazed from the lighting quick change in mood in the room. "But I have a feeling that I better find out sooner rather than later." 

Rocky had to agree with that. Whatever had just happened to Kim had distressed her greatly, scared her even. Jason didn't look that much better, but at least he was willing to find out what was wrong. Kim it seemed was ready to bolt. _Like she had at the competition_, Rocky thought as he helped Jason and Adam clean up the forgotten pizza. 

He remembered Kim's ashen face filled with panic as she had fled from the stadium that day. She had seemed fine the night before when she had visited him at home, giving him her get well wishes. Even during the competition itself she had been excited and had cheered as loud as anybody else there. Everything had seemed fine then she had just fallen apart. 

They had been all up there next to the ring congratulating their friends, and suddenly she had stumbled into him her eyes wide and frightened, her face covered in sweat. She had mumbled something about having to get away then bolted for the door. If it hadn't of been for his damn back hurting him so much he would have gone after her. He had thought at the time that it had been too much excitement and the crowd of people too crushing for Kim's small frame that had caused her to become uncomfortable. Then she had never come back. 

Rocky watched Kim pace back and forth in the kitchen as she talked to Kat. She seemed to be calming somewhat, not as agitated as before, but she still studiously kept her back to them, blocking them out. _Well, she got away from us once without explanation, but this time she's not getting away that easily_, Rocky vowed to himself. 


	3. 3: Adam's Help

Back in the System

A Power Rangers Story

Part Three: Adam's Help

By PaperKat

Adam yawned tiredly as he pulled into the parking lot outside Jason's apartment. Last night had lasted longer than any of them had expected. None of them brought up what happened between Jason and Kimberly and their ex-pink ranger had seemed relieved at that. Adam wasn't sure what had happened, but whatever it was, it had been powerful. Rocky was convinced that sexual sparks were starting to form between the two. Adam thought it went much deeper than that. 

Maybe it was a product of being a ranger, maybe it was a result of Adam's almost obsessive people watching habits he developed growing up a painfully shy kid, but he just seemed to be able to read people. He had never had the opportunity to observe Kim and Jason together for any length of time, but he had seen and heard how Jason talked about his long time female friend. There was just something different between them, more than friends, more than family, more than even rangers, and if what happened between them last night shook them both up there was something more going on then simple repressed sexual feelings. 

After Kimberly had gotten off the phone with Kat, the atmosphere in the apartment had returned to friendly banter. The four of them had discussed how Kim was going to go about moving from London back to Angel Grove. She had confessed that she hadn't thought that far into the future, fearing it would jinx her chances of getting the contract.

Both Jason and Rocky had offered for her to live with them until she found a place. Since he technically lived in Hollywood, Adam hadn't been able to offer the same. He was only back in Angel Grove now because he was on hiatus. He was a regular stuntman on a primetime television show that was currently in-between filming seasons. Instead of trying to find a short-term job in the interim, Adam had saved enough money to treat himself with a three-month vacation. He was presently using Rocky's extra bedroom during this time, though he did have plans to stay with his folks all of next week.

Hearing that Kimberly had no plan for her impending move, the three of them had gotten to work. After conferring with her as to what Kim might need, a large studio and an apartment within walking distance, Jason had found his Sunday paper and they had started looking through the classifieds for something appropriate. The plan had been for Adam to take Kim around town to look at what they could before her flight back to London at six p.m. the next day. 

An hour or so later, he had looked up from another possibility that Jason had circled in red marker to see that Kimberly had lost her battle with jetlag. Curled up in a tight ball, Kim had been asleep on the couch while her friends had planed her future residence. Silently he had alerted the other two to their female friend's state of unconsciousness. Jason had gone over to his childhood pal and very, very lightly shook her shoulder.

"Kim? Kim?" He had asked softly, she had given a muffled grunt in response. "Can I take the couch tonight?" There had been an affirmative sounding groan to which Jason had grinned triumphantly. Earlier in the evening, Kimberly had adamantly refused to take Jason's bed for her overnight stay. Once Jason had effortlessly tricked Kim into coming over to his way of thinking, he had easily gathered up the tiny woman and had taken her to his room. 

As soon as the two had disappeared down the hall, Rocky had started in on how hot Kim had looked that night and how clueless the former original red and pink ranger were to how awesome a couple they would make. It always surprised Adam that Rocky was such a matchmaker. He supposed that Rocky got the habit from his mother that was still trying to fix him up. And for as seemingly rude as Rocky could be about personal issues he was an incurable romantic. Adam had been almost positive that if Tommy had of been anywhere in the vicinity that the young Latin man would have been trying to get them back together instead of trying to start something between Jason and Kim. 

Adam had listened to his friend list the reasons the two in the back room should 'get it on' as it were. He had just let Rocky carry-on, not saying anything positive or negative. Rocky could fuel his own imagination without Adam's opinion either way. Personally Adam didn't think that anything would ever happen between the two former teammates. Their relationship just wasn't like that, unquestionably intimate and binding, but not romantic. A few moments after Rocky had been getting a little too explicit about what _he_ would have been doing if _he_ where Jason, the mentioned ex-ranger had come back with a pillow and blanket and had tossed them on the couch, Rocky had immediately fallen silent.

They had spent the rest of the evening writing down each of the locations that were possibly acceptable and arranging them in order so that he and Kim could hit as many as possible without having to back track. Jason had sent them home at close to midnight and both ex-red rangers had complained about having to be at work early the next morning while Adam had teased that he would still have to get up early too, but at least he'd have beautiful company.

Now it was 7:15 in the morning, an un-Godly hour for anyone on vacation to be awake, knocking on Jason's door. No matter how gorgeous Kimberly was it was too damn early to be up if you didn't have to go to work. Almost before he could finish his second rap, the door flew open to an all too cheery Kimberly. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, the designer cream colored jeans and the simple amber colored short sleeved sweater looked both comfortable and attractive. _Maybe it wasn't so bad getting up early to spend time with Kim_.

"Hey, lazy-bones. What took you so long? Jason ran out of here almost thirty minutes ago." Adam tried to respond, but a jaw-popping yawn prevented him. Kim smiled at him affectionately and pulled him inside. 

"OK, what did you guys do after I fell asleep? Jason almost overslept and raced out of here so fast I didn't get a chance to ask him. All he said as he tripped out the door was that you were coming over to take me somewhere this morning. Now you come in here practically sleepwalking and giving a Rip Van Wrinkle impersonation." Kim didn't wait for him to answer. She led him to the table and made him sit and stripped him of his favorite green bomber jacket.

"No talking for you until your caffeine level is higher. Pick your poison: coffee or tea." Kimberly told him as she made her way around the island.

"Coffee." Adam replied automatically, then thought better of it. "No wait! Did Jason make the coffee?" he asked, self-preservation kicking in despite his tired state.

"No." Kim responded. The wrinkle in her forehead clearly showing that she was confused by his question.

"Good. Then I'll take the coffee, one cream and no sugar. That sludge that Jase makes should be considered a bio-hazard." Kim chuckled as she made the coffee to his request and brought it to him.

"I _was_ wondering what that black slime in the coffee pot was. Took me almost a half an hour to scrub it out. What do you want for breakfast? I've got five biscuits left, a full pan of blueberry muffins, about seven strips of bacon, ten sausage links, pancake mix to make… well pancakes and a half dozen eggs that I can fix anyway you like. So what will it be?" Kim asked sweetly her hands held behind her back as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her bare feet. _Far too much energy at this hour_.

"Is this another case of: while the Kat's away the Kimberly will play?" Kim's smile turned impish, but she didn't answer. "Jason actually has all of that in his place?"

"He didn't until I went out this morning and got it."

"How early did you get up this morning?" Adam asked astonished. _Maybe it was the jetlag_.

"Oh, about five I guess. I don't sleep much at night anymore. With Kat's practice and performances and my crazy artist's schedule I learned to take power naps whenever I can. Nighttime isn't always sleeptime."

"You know that you're not going to be able to get away with that kind of system once you move back." Adam informed her.

"How so?" 

Adam smiled and pointed to a prominently displayed photo of Kimberly and Jason from high school. "Big Brother is always watching."

"Jason?" Kimberly asked with a snort. "Jase gave up a long time ago trying to curb my behavior. Besides what he doesn't know won't get me in trouble. Enough stalling, what do you want to eat?"

"How about bacon, some scrabbled eggs, a few of those biscuits and another round of that non-lethal coffee?" Adam requested. He couldn't remember the last time he had a morning meal that wasn't handed to him through the car window. He was going to enjoy this.

"Coming right up!" Kim bounced away and Adam followed. He fixed his own coffee, despite his earlier request, and watched Kimberly as she went about cooking breakfast. She looked positively dainty in the smallish sized room. All the higher cabinets were barely within her reach though that didn't seem to slow her down as she went about gathering things together to make breakfast.

"So what did you three talk about last night after I fell asleep?" Kimberly re-asked her earlier question as she expertly broke open eggs one handed into the bowl in front of her.

"Well, we took it upon ourselves to find you a new home." Adam cringed slightly wondering if Kim would be upset that they had interfered. Tanya certainly would have blown hot thinking that the guys had made any decisions for her.

"Oh, really?" She said, briskly whisking the eggs into a light yellow froth, totally unconcerned about their planning, in fact she seemed to expect it. "And what did you guys come up with?"

Adam reached into the back pocket of his black jeans to find the list, but came up empty. He tried again with his front pockets, but a second time nothing. He looked sheepishly at his female friend as she raised an expectant eyebrow.

"I don't seem to have it." Adam leaned back against the counter as Kim began to cook the eggs she had just beat into submission. "We were all here at the table with Jason's paper. He took you to bed. He came back. We wrote down the locations on the back of a blue piece of paper…" Adam said out loud as he tried to remember what happened to the missing list.

"A blue piece of paper about this big." Kim said holding up her hands to indicate something about half the size of a regular sheet of notebook paper. Adam nodded, hopeful that maybe she had seen it sometime this morning. "It had a list of Jason's students on it. I think I saw him stuff it into his gym bag as he ran around looking for his wallet."

"Ah, man." _Great! Now what am I going to do?_

"Hey, don't worry about it. After breakfast we'll run down to the dojo and get it from Jason. I've been wanting to see that place anyway. They do nothing but sing their boss's praises."

"Well, it's got to be now or never." Adam stated as he helped Kim carry the muffins and the biscuits to the table. She followed close behind with his eggs and bacon, her own cup of coffee and a tub of butter balanced on top of the mug. "The school's going to be closing soon."

"You're kidding!" Kimberly exclaimed, dropping the plate to the table. Adam's eggs and bacon switched places on the plate when they bounced. "They never said anything!" 

"Well, they were hoping to find a way to keep it open, but with Rocky still in school and Jason just graduating neither one of them have the resources to take over for Mr. Hamin." Adam fixed himself a sandwich with his eggs, bacon and biscuit and Kimberly absently buttered a muffin half. "It's a real shame too. It's a thriving dojo, with new students all the time despite the limited space."

"So why is he closing the dojo? I mean why doesn't he just sell it?" 

"Well, from what Rocky told me his son has developed some severe allergies to this area and their doctor recommended moving to the Midwest. He's already purchased a house and his wife and son moved out there last month. He's been trying to hold out for someone to take over, he really doesn't want to disappoint his students, but he just can't anymore. I think he might have sold the building they're in last week."

"That's too bad." Kim said thoughtfully as she nibbled on her muffin.

"Is that all you're going to eat?" Adam asked surprised after last night's Rocky impersonation.

"I ate earlier with Jason, or more accurately I ate while Jason ran around trying to get ready." Kim's nose wrinkled as she thought for a moment. "You know I think that maybe our two ex-reds are spending a bit too much time together."

"Why do you say that?"

"Jason was swearing in Spanish." She told him with a grin. Adam smiled back, unable to respond with a mouthful of food. He too had noticed Jason's increased Spanish vocabulary and not all of it could be repeated in front of their bilingual students. "I'm glad that they have each other. Jason was pretty lonely when everyone started moving away."

Adam paused in his eating to gaze upon his female friend. Kim had this forlorn expression on her face as she carefully buttered another half of a muffin. In that moment she looked far younger than even the sixteen he had meet her at. Adam just couldn't shake this feeling that Kim's current depressed condition had something to do with whatever was wrong between her and Jason. He couldn't tell if her sadness was for herself or for her childhood friend, but whatever the reason Kim was falling fast into a melancholy state. _We'll just have to nip that in the butt_.

"Well, now that you're coming back you'll be able keep an eye on the two of them and stop them from becoming clones." The comment had the desired effect. Kimberly beamed brightly at the suggestion.

"You're right. A little estrogen in their testosterone-laden world is just what those two need. I am surprised that Aisha hasn't taken it upon herself to keep them in line. I know she's in Stone Canyon but that's only twenty minuets away."

"Aisha's been real busy with the radio station lately. Don't tell her I told you this, but she's up for a permanent position for the morning crew, on the air."

"Oh my gosh! That's wonderful! I know that she was real worried that her time in Africa was going to ruin her chances at being a radio jockey, being behind in school and all that. Why didn't she want to say anything?" Adam grinned; his two female friends were too much alike in some ways.

"Same as you. Didn't want to jinx it."

"Well, I don't think that she has anything to worry about. They'd be idiots not to snatch her up before another station finds out about her." Adam was inclined to agree. Even though Aisha was his closest friend beside Rocky he knew that she had genuine talent. "You finish up here and I'm going to go clean up that mess I left in the kitchen, then we'll head out."

Adam watched her go, surprised that he was admiring her elegant erect carriage and the feminine sway of her hips. _Jason wasn't the only one that was hanging around Rocky too much_, Adam thought as he munched on his last piece of bacon. All the way back to Rocky's apartment last night, Adam had been bombarded with a monologue of Kim's attributes. Not that he had never noticed that she was attractive, it was just that she was so easy to talk to and get along with that sometimes he forgot that she wasn't one of the bros. She hadn't been intimidating like the other female rangers had been. 

Kat had been far too alluring for his teenage hormones and ultra shy demeanor for him to ever feel chummy with her back in high school. Besides there had been the whole Kim/Kat/Tommy thing that he had not wanted to get in the middle of. Aisha was his childhood friend and sister in everything but blood and being a ranger with her only made that feeling stronger. He imagined it was the same for Jason and Kim. Then there was Tanya. So strong and confident and completely out of his league and reach. 

Adam sighed, pushing his bits of left-over eggs around with his fork. Tanya was in Boston now studying to be a doctor. Not just any doctor but a neurosurgeon and what was he, a stuntman. He didn't feel that there was anything wrong with his kind of job, he loved it, but it was just a reminder of how different he and his old crush were. _Old crush, yeah right, like you don't think about her almost everyday_, he accused himself.

"Adam?" Kim ask him softly, startling him so much that he dropped his fork to the plate with a crash. "Is everything OK?"

Adam heard the concern in her voice, but he wasn't up to sharing right now. "I'm fine Kim." 

She smiled back, the look in her eyes saying that she knew he was lying, but she was going to let him. Kimberly pulled him to her chest, wrapped her arms around his head and neck and then placed a kiss to his short curly black hair. Kim always seemed to know exactly what to do to make her friends feel better.

Even though Adam had his face practically buried in Kim's breasts all he felt from the embrace was warm comfort. Seated as he was before her, he was at the perfect height to wrap his arms around her hips. They held each other for a few minutes, and Adam had the suspicion that maybe Kimberly was drawing just as much comfort from this physical contact as he was. When she patted his back firmly, Adam knew it was time to separate, but he gave her one last strong squeeze before he did so.

"You ready to start our fun filled day of driving and looking?" Kim asked, her eyes were suspiciously wet.

"As ready as I'll ever be." He replied as he took his plate to the sink. He was perfectly willing to ignore Kim's lapse if she was willing to ignore his own.

Kim pulled on her knee high boots from yesterday and the jeans and sweater combo that had looked comfortable and stylish before now looked like runway attire. When she put on her long coat, Adam felt under dressed in his black t-shirt, jeans and boots. Kim looked like she had walked right out of a magazine.

"I thought you said you didn't have anything but sweats and leather?"

"Well, I knew that the boots and jacket wouldn't fit in my carry-on so I made sure I had a matching outfit to fly back in. Come on." She said grabbing up her carry-on and portfolio. "Led on MacDuff."

Adam led the way outside to his car. At Kim's surprised gasped he smiled with satisfaction even as his cheeks flushed just the littlest bit. 

"This is _your_ car?"

Adam clicked the alarm off of his completely revamped '68 Corvette. He watched with pride as Kimberly ran her fingertips over the high gloss candy apple red paint.

"Not black or green?" she asked with merriment evident in her coy voice.

"I do own things that aren't black or green." He told her equally amused. He opened her door for her and helped her get inside.

"I see that." She told him cheekily as she looked him up and down. Adam groaned and closed the door. He jogged over to the driver's side and got in.

"OK, OK. So I still have a psychological need to have it in my wardrobe. How about you?" Adam asked remembering that the only pinkish thing he had seen on her was the thin rose strips in her plaid skirt yesterday.

"Please, with me and Kat living in the same loft we went into Power Pink overload in just a few months." Kim shrugged as she looked down at her current attire. "I still feel the need but I always ask myself if it's what I really want or a power flash back. Me and Kat decided that we would wear the pink, the pink won't wear us."

Adam chuckled and started the car. Again he felt a moment of masculine pride as Kim sighed appreciatively when the car hummed around her. She snuggled deeper into the leather seat and closed her eyes. He heard her whisper under her breath 'Almost as good as a bike.' He really loved this car.

"When did you get this?" Kim asked as she ran her hands over the black leather of the seats. Adam pulled out of the parking lot and moved into traffic.

"Only about a month ago."

"Stunt work must be treating you well."

"When you're the only one that 's willing to put on a full spandex bodysuit with helmet and jump from a burning building into the ocean, they give you a little something extra in you checks." Kim laughed and patted him on the thigh.

"Can't get away from that spandex, eh?"

"I wear the spandex, the spandex doesn't wear me." Kim burst out laughing and covered her mouth with her hand to hold in her mirth.

"What about you? I hear that a Joseph St. John original goes for a pretty penny. A couple of million pretty pennies according to the late night news." Kim rolled her eyes and threw up her hands.

"Can you believe what that guy paid for a painting of a scantily clad tiger woman riding on ostrich? I thought they were asking too much at ten thousand then the biding started and the next thing I knew it was up to hundred thousand dollars!" Adam had to smile at the astonishment in Kim's voice. "I'm glad I donated it to the auction. The environmental group that's helping clean up that oil spill off of the Spanish coast really needed the money. But, honestly I make enough to keep my name out of the spotlight and to live anyway I wish, even after I pay the lawyers and my publicist." 

"What made you decide to get another secret identity? Missing the old days?" Adam asked turning down Main Street.

"You remember how much a pain in the butt keeping our identities a secret was." Adam nodded his understanding remembering all the excuses and ducking his parents he had to do as a Ranger. "This is almost as bad. Hide away meetings, passing my work from person to person so that it doesn't get traced back to me. But it's worth it. After I saw what kind of reaction my stuff got in London I knew that I would need the secrecy to have a private life."

"So if you are making enough money being Joseph St. John, why did you take this new job and why did you wait until now to move back home?" Kim didn't answer immediately and Adam feared that he had stepped in it good. He hazarded a glance in her direction and saw that Kim's expression wasn't hurt, just thoughtful. 

"I guess I wasn't ready yet." Kim sighed deeply and Adam could almost feel her sink into her memories. "I needed time to find myself again. I had a couple of rough years after I left Angel Grove and I just need time to recuperate." 

Adam took another quick look at his friend and wondered what had happened all those years ago. Kim's seeming complete disappearance was one of those things that no one asked about and no one talked about. At the time the team needed their leader to be grounded and focused so they had all just pretended that Kimberly had never existed, at least in front of Tommy. Secretly they had discussed what could have possibly happened and had even tried to contact her, but all their efforts had been in vain. He suspected that Kat knew what had happened from some of the things that she had let slip, but she hadn't said anything directly.

"As for the job…" Adam snapped his attention back to the here and now as Kim answered his first question. "I needed something to keep my imagination on it's toes. I could draw mostly naked humanoid women riding all manner of beasts until I was blue in the face, but I need more of a challenge to satisfy my artist's eye."

"Well I'm just glad that Rita and Zedd are gone. I got a look at some of those sketches and man would I have hated fighting some of those things."

"I know. Thinking of all the times they took something of ours and turned it into a real monster, like Tommy's art project. Did he ever… Adam quick, pull over."

"What?"

"Pull over right there in that warehouse parking lot."

Adam did as he was instructed and pulled his Corvette up to a three-story warehouse. As soon as the car stopped, Kim opened her door and ran up to the 'For Sale' sign posted on the standard sized door at one corner of the building. The whole warehouse was about half the size of a football field and stood on the corner of Main and Lakeside. He didn't remember this location being on the list and with it being only a half a mile from Mr. Hamin's dojo Adam thought that he would have remembered. Adam stood back and observed the structure.

The side that faced Main and the parking lot had two large garage type doors side by side along with the single door Kim was now standing in front of. On the side that faced Lakeside was a double wide set of stairs that led to a second floor door. Unlike the Main Street side, which was whitewashed, this side was charred black. _Probably a monster attack_, Adam reasoned since this was an area of Angel Grove that Rita and Zedd seemed to favor back when he was a ranger. _Probably why it's still for sale_. 

"Come on Adam. Let's take a look." Adam looked to his friend and saw that she was just inside the now open door.

"Was it open?" Adam asked jogging over.

"No." Kim said nonchalantly as she walked inside. "I picked the lock."

"Kim!" Adam hissed as he looked around expecting cops to show up at any moment to arrest them.

"Adam, don't be a stick in the mud. I have a really good feeling about this place."

"What do you mean 'a good feeling'?" All Adam was feeling was the need to throw Kimberly over his shoulder and carry her B&E butt back to the car, then he'd call Jason_. That would get her in hot water._

"Can't explain it. It just 'called' to me."

"Are you on any medications I should know about?"

"Nothing special." She told him and Adam wasn't so sure that she was joking.

Adam took a deep breath and plunged in and was meet by a cloud of dust. Obviously no one had been inside for quite some time even Kim's footprints ahead of him could be seen in the dust on the concrete floor. Adam squinted in the low light provided by the open door behind him and the single, block divided, five by 6-foot window across the room from him. The other seven windows were boarded by slats and fingers of dust defused light striped the floor. 

Kim moved through the vastness being careful not to trip on the strips of metal bolted to the floor, both of their boots echoed in the concrete cavern. _Must have been a production warehouse_, Adam thought as he took in the wall to his left and the four huge offices that ran along it. There wasn't enough light to truly see from wall to wall but the provided light reflected off of the huge glass windows, windows that allowed whoever was inside to see the entire warehouse floor. In the back right corner was a thirty by forty-foot box. _Restrooms for the workers, maybe?_

Kim called his name and Adam watched her make her way over to a set of zigzag stairs that led into the ceiling and knew that their unannounced tour wasn't over yet. He followed her up the stairs and the metallic groan was creepier than the their boot falls had been. There was no door at the top of the stairs, it just stopped on the second floor, so Adam missed a chance to see Kim's lock picking skills. Once on the next floor, he was struck by the openness of the space. While the ceilings downstairs had been about 12 feet tall with strips of florescent lights banning them, the ceiling here was over 20 feet high with enormous round lights.

Half of the space on the same side as the windows was sectioned off by a third floor lined by thick metal railings. Unlike the first floor vast amounts of light spilled into the room from what must have been windows on the third floor overlook. Other than the double bathroom directly above the one downstairs and the single door across from them, that undoubtedly was the one that Adam had seen from outside, the space was utterly empty.

Kim didn't stop as she made her way over to one of the set of two stairs that led to the third floor. Since there was nothing to see, Adam gamely followed. Up the stairs was another empty space, half the size of the previous floors, but flooded by light from the eight huge unobstructed windows letting in the rising sun's light.

"This is perfect." Kimberly whispered as she ran to the windows.

"This?" Adam asked surprised. _How much room could she possibly need?!_ "Kim you could play football downstairs and basketball upstairs! This whole place is three times the size of the youth center."

"Adam… look." She told him pointing outside.

Adam shook his head and complied. He was stunned by the view. Outside the window was a completely undeterred panoramic view of the lake and the park beyond and if the sun wasn't so bright coming over the mountains, he was sure you could probably see those too.

"Let's get to the dojo, Adam. We have a lot of work to do!"

Kim ran down the stairs two at a time and Adam wondered how she could possibly do that in heels, then what she said sunk in.

"We?!" he squeaked out running after her. _Why do I think that this day just got longer?_

End part 3


	4. 4: Kim's Flight

Standard fanfiction disclaimers: I don't own the characters much to my dismay. I have not intentionally tried to steal anyone's idea. This story centers on Jason, Kim and Tommy. I will have some original characters show up at some point, but please don't use them without asking first

Back in the System

A Power Rangers Story

Part Four: Kim's Flight

By PaperKat

Kimberly Anne Hart ran for all that she was worth towards the boarding gate. Ahead of her Adam leaped over an unsuspecting traveler's luggage as he yelled back at her to hurry up. _Somebody's been in Hollywood a little too long_, Kim thought, a smile blossoming on her tired face. She was sure that this was Adam's brand of payback for dragging him around Angel Grove all day long. For the first time Kim appreciated her shorter stature and petite frame as she waved herself in and out of the other passengers around her.

It had taken far longer than Kim had anticipated completing all of her business arrangements after she had decided to buy the warehouse and the dojo. The first order of business had been to convince Mr. Hamin to sell her his dojo, which had not been easy by any stretch of the imagination. Her and Adam had shown up at the dojo, much to Jason and Rocky's surprise, and she had requested an audience with the owner in a very business like manner. 

It had been a tough hour of negotiations. The price was never haggled over, Kimberly had thought Mr. Hamin's price for all of the dojo's equipment and trappings and the dojo's name had been more than fair. However, the suggested change of location had upset Mr. Hamin. He had already had a buyer for his building, but he hadn't wanted his students to have to travel too far to continue with their studies. After hearing where she wished to move his next concern had been that she wanted to turn his dojo into a large school, pumping children in and out for money. When she had told him that she would never take on more students than Jason or Rocky thought were appropriate, he seemed very pleased. So pleased in fact that after leaving his office and she had tried to shake his hand to seal the deal, the burly man had gathered her up in a bear hug that had popped her spine. Which hadn't gone unnoticed by her three ex-teammates, but with so little time available Kim hadn't had the luxury to stop and explain. 

On the way to the realtor Kimberly had explained to Adam her plan to buy the warehouse, use the top two floors as a gallery, studio and apartment, then set up the first floor as a dojo. Adam had voiced his concerns about entering a business relationship with friends, but after her quelling glare he had admitted that the normal complications of friends working for each other would probably not apply for them. Kimberly had her own reservations about the situation and they stemmed less from working with the guys and more from just being with them again, especially Jason. 

__

In for a penny, in for a pound. _If you're going to go swimming, jump in the deep end. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Or as Rocky would say, 'If you're going to get bit, it might as well be a big dog.'_ Which Kim had never quite understood, but it seemed oddly appropriate for this situation.

"Gate 11 is that way!" Adam yelled over the noise and the heads of the other travelers. All Kim could see was her Asian friend's arm and hand directing her to the right.

Putting on a bit of extra speed, Kim forced her way over in the direction Adam had indicated. A speaker above her announced that her flight was giving it's last boarding call. Kim knew that if she missed this flight that she would have to wait until morning for another one and she just wasn't prepared to say another night.

"Kim! Over here!" Jason's voice boomed ahead of her surprising her enough to make her trip. Before she could go all the way down Adam caught her arm and pulled her ahead with him. Standing by Gate 11 was Rocky and Jason, both still wearing their gis. _They must have come straight from the dojo._

"We didn't think you guys were going to make it." Rocky told them.

Kim grabbed her portfolio and carry-on from Adam and handed them along with her ticket to the guard. "Technically I still haven't until I make it on that plane."

"Mr. Hamin said that you bought the dojo. Is that true?" _Leave it to Jason to cut to the chase_. Kim quickly searched his expression to see if he was angry with her and seeing nothing but surprise she relaxed.

"Yep. The ink's probably still wet on the closing for the warehouse, and I still need to get an American business license, but I should be able to take care of that easily."

"Warehouse?" Jason asked puzzled. "What warehouse?"

"Miss… your bags." The security office said as he handed her back her things and pointed at the hallway leading to the plane. "I suggest you hurry Miss. They're ready to leave." Kim smiled her thanks and turned to Adam giving him a huge hug even as she spoke over his shoulder to Jason.

"I don't have time to explain." Kim switched her hug from Adam to Rocky, but still addressed Jason. "I'll call as soon as I get to London. Adam can fill you in with some of the details." She pulled away from the former blue Zeo ranger and dug around in her coat pocket. "Here." She called out in warning, throwing a set of keys and her cell at Adam. "You're going to need those and be careful with the phone Andros gave it to me. It's special if you know what I mean." _And if Andros finds out I'm using it to move I'm in deep trouble_.

Adam 'ahh'-ed in understanding as he pocketed both items. Kim turned back to Jason and swallowed hard. An electric thread of panic raced through her system. _Please let it be just a normal hug, no funny stuff,_ Kim prayed to herself as she threw her arms around her long time friend. She was stiff at first waiting for something to happen. When nothing did she let herself melt into the embrace with relief. Kim gave a silent prayer of thanksgiving. She just didn't know what she would do if she were forced to never see her childhood friend again because of her illness. _Last night must have been a fluke. I just missed my morning dosage that's all_.

"Call as soon as you get to Kat's." He demanded of her as he let her pull away. Kim felt the old familiar warmth flood her at Jason's brotherly tone. She wondered if he realized that he had already started calling the loft her and Kat had shared for two years as 'Kat's'. Overwhelming joy washed over her at the thought of finally coming home again. Kimberly threw herself back into Jason's arms, gave a squeal of excitement and then quickly moved away.

"I will. See you guys in a few weeks!" Kim yelled over her shoulder, high-tailing it for the plane, bouncing on her toes as she went.

It was a simple matter to find her seat and then to put her carry-on and coat in the over head compartment. Kim buckled her seatbelt and sighed as the plane began to taxi on the runway. For the first time since she and Adam had started on her quest for a new home this morning, Kimberly sat down and relaxed. _What an incredible day!_ She thought, a bright smile lighting her face. She not only found the perfect place to live and create her work, but also a wonderful location to display all that she had already made. 

To say that Kim was prolific in her work was like saying Rocky could eat. In the few years that she had started drawing she had created hundreds of works, most of which were what she deemed private and not to be on display for the general public. Her studio in London was far too small to show them all off and the loft walls had already been covered a long time ago.

Yes, the warehouse was going to be perfect. After it was renovated of course. Kim giggled remembering how she had shanghaied Adam into being her liaison for the massive undertaking of remodeling the old warehouse into an apartment, studio, gallery and dojo. _Poor, poor Adam. He's such a trusting sweetie_.

"Adam, do you know of anyone that I can trust to remodel the warehouse?" She had asked of her friend, hoping that he would give her the answer she was looking for.

"Sure, my uncle has a decent sized construction company that could probably handle anything that you would need." He had replied unknowing that he had been walking into her snare. Kim had already known about Adam's Uncle Reese.

"You talk to him often?"

"Oh, every once in a while. Mostly he comes over when I'm visiting my folks."

"So, you will be seeing him next week?" The trap had been set, all she had needed was for him to step in.

"Yeah, he'll be there. I…" It had been in that moment that Adam had known that he was a goner. "Kim…"

"Please, Adam. I have soooo much to take care of in London and I really need someone here that I can trust to oversee the start of the renovations." Kim had turned on the pout and the patented 'under the eyelashes' plea. Adam hadn't stood a chance.

"Alright, alright. I'll do it. Now put that thing away." He had told her tapping her thrust out lower lip. "You could put an eye out with that."

In-between the realtor and the bank to get a cashier's check for the warehouse, Kim had let Adam in on the general plan of what she wanted to do to her half of the building. She was going to let Jason and Rocky decide what needed to be done with the first floor to make it into a proper dojo, something that she really knew nothing about. She knew that there was going to be a lot that she and the guys were going to have to talk about to make this work. Her intentions were to own the dojo only until Rocky and Jason could get on their feet enough to buy it from her. What Kim really wanted to do was to just give it to them, but she knew them well enough to know that they would be uncomfortable with that arrangement.

A yawn caught Kim by surprise although it shouldn't have. Other than the hour or two of sleep she had gotten at Jason's apartment she hadn't slept for over thirty-six hours. Last night listening to the comforting sounds of her friends' voices as they poured through the newspaper had lulled her into a deep sleep like she hadn't had since she had left Angel Grove. She had been pulled from that nurturing slumber by dreams that she had hoped she had concurred years ago. Dreams that scared her more than any monster she had fought while a ranger. Tangled dreams of Jason and Tommy.

They were old nightmares of Tommy's anger and rejection, of Jason's disappointment and rebuke. Pain, sadness, desperation and loss twisted and pulled from the darkness inside her, burning flames of destruction and joining. One bled into the other, the second becoming the first until there was no difference. That was always the way of her dreams. Images cloaked in shadows, but the feelings were always intense and always cutting. 

Upon awakening she had been slow to realize where she was, but the scent that lingered in the pillow and linens had told her quite plainly where she had been, in a bed, Jason's bed. She had leapt off the mattress so fast that most of the covers had went with her, tangling her in them, trapping her. She had struggled to be free, all the while feeling the panic clutch her chest. By the time she had broken free, Kim had been in a full blown panic attack. 

Not caring if anyone would see her, she had run into the living room and snatched up her carry-on bag. Thankfully Jason was still the heavy sleeper he had been in their childhood. Frantically she had searched for her medicine, all the while fighting to breathe. It had been years since she had had an attack like that, not since Muiranthius. Kim had dry swallowed her pill as soon as she had found it. She had then crawled her way backward until she had hit the wall, pressed her back against the support, grasping her knees to her chest and had rocked while she had silently cried. It had taken nearly an hour before she had been able to function again.

The attack that had seized her at the tournament had thrashed her in its jaws for two days. At least she had been told that two days had passed only after the fact. When Kim had become aware of her surroundings she had been in the company of an elderly man that had only identified himself as True of Heart. Kimberly still didn't know what had happened during those two days, but the doctors had given her new medication and she hadn't had another attack, at least until last night. 

Kim shook those remembered feelings off and concentrated out the window, using the meditation techniques her therapist had taught her. Before long she was able to block the unwanted emotions and push them down to a place she could lock them away. Kim hoped that this latest episode was a result of the stress of traveling and the mix-up of the time of her medication. Sighing calmly, Kim reached for her portfolio, unlocked it and started examining her work. Drawing always seemed to relax her.

The movie studio had loved her work, though they had many suggestions on how to change her drawings into something they could recreate. They had even hinted that they would like to use her skills to make map paintings even though she had warned them that she wasn't that proficient in computer imagery. They hadn't seemed too worried, telling her that they could either send her to school or hire someone to take her paintings and recreate them in the computer for them.

Extracting a pencil from a compartment hidden in the portfolio, Kim started to make notes on the sketches, and where she could she made the modifications on the drawing itself. She worked steadily for a few hours never realizing that she was starting to droop in her seat and that the portfolio was sliding from her lap. Just as her pencil slipped from her grasp, Kim fell asleep.

It wasn't immediately recognizable as a dream at first. She was still on the plane sketching when the aircraft gave a violent shudder. Passengers started screaming and barely audible over the cries was the pilot's instructions to stay in their seats and put on their seatbelts. Kimberly never one to easily frighten, moved over to the window seat and buckled herself in. Outside the window she could see a monster, identical to one of the ones she had in her portfolio, hurling rocks at the plane. _Ahh, another 'ranger dream'_. Kim thought to herself not really concerned. She had been having what she called 'ranger dreams' ever since that very first day. A monster would come the rangers would respond, win and then she'd wake up, no big deal.

A blast from somewhere behind the plane drew the tentacled monster's attention from the aircraft allowing the pilot to circle back around the way they had come and to land. Passengers crushed to the emergency exits, pushing, pulling and dragging Kim along with them to the air slides. As soon as she hit the bottom, two people grabbed her arms and ushered her away from the crowd. She looked to her right and to her left.

"Rocky? Adam?" she asked them stupefied. Usually 'ranger dreams' consisted of the original five, and sometimes Tommy. Rocky was in his red Ninjetti outfit with the mask and head covering pulled up while Adam was in a green Ninjetti uniform, his face and head were also covered. "Since when were you a green ninja?" _This is a first_.

"Hey, it ain't easy being green!" he snapped back at her. He seemed rather put out at her. "I'll have you know that I waited all day for the cable guy and he _still_ hasn't come!"

"What are you talking about?" Kim demanded, but Rocky turned her around to face him before Adam could answer.

"Never mind Mr. Grumpy Pants over there, Sexy. He's just mad that he's too scared to kiss the fairy princess." Rocky told her with a shrug.

"Well, if he wants a kiss he better come get one. I'm a little busy right now."

Kim turned to the voice to see Tanya standing in the middle of the runway in bright yellow scrubs, apron, and gloves; even the patient she was working on was covered with a lemon colored sheet. _Of course Adam's princess would be Tanya_, she thought with a smile. She had heard all the stories from Kat and Rocky about those two. 

All the equipment you might expect in an operating room was gathered around Tanya. Monitors and Ivs were hooked up to her patient along with some alien apparatus into his brain that was completely exposed on top. _Gross! I must have watched Hannibal one too many times_.

"This is such a mess!" Tanya declared as she poked around at the connections buried in the reddish gray mass of tissue. "How could they possibly expect to control something that's ethereal by manipulating the physical?" 

"Am I going to be alright, Doc?" the patient asked and Kim's blood froze when she recognized his voice. _No, no not one of those dreams!_ To Kim, Jason was the strong one, the anchor, and the unstoppable force. While 'ranger dreams' were easy for Kimberly to deal with, dreams that involved Jason's inability to help himself terrified her.

"Jason?!" Kim called out as she ran in slow motion to him.

"You'll be fine," Tanya assured him. "I have an expert on the way now to help. They just had a hard time finding a boat to get here." Tanya wheeled her patient through a set of swinging double doors that Kim hadn't noticed before, totally ignoring her cries for them to stop.

Kim was hot on their heels, but when she crashed through the free-swinging doors there was nothing but more runway on the other side. _No, I can't lose him. I'll die without him_. She turned around and around in a circle but all she could see was the double doors that she had just come through and her two friends in red and green. Rocky approached her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, Sexy. We can't stay to chat. We've got your monster to hold back, but don't stay away too long. We can only help but so much."

Rocky pulled her in for a searing kiss that only confused Kimberly more. _What the hell is going on here, don't they see that Jason needs help!? _Without another word Rocky and Adam ran towards the battle that was already raging between the monster, a black lion and a sabertooth tiger. Within a few yards they changed forms from humans to a red ape and a giant black and green frog.

"But what about Jason?" Kimberly yelled after them feeling helpless and lost as events whirled about her. _Just a dream, just a dream. None of this is really happening_.

"Don't worry about that Kim. It's already been taken care of." To Kim's left, Aisha seemingly materialized out of nothingness in her Ninjetti uniform. She ran forward and enveloped Kim in a bear hug. Kimberly returned the hug with equal intensity.

"What's going on Aisha?" She asked her friend.

"'What's going on' is that you've let that…" Aisha pointed over to the battle, "…go on for far too long." Aisha cradled Kim's face in her hands and smiled at her. "We are all more than happy to help you Kim, all you ever had to do was ask, but there's only so much we can do. We can hold it back only for so long. There's only one person that can make it go away."

With that Aisha turned and starting running to join the battle, like the others she changed into a golden colored bear, the symbol of her Ninjetti powers. Kim sank to the ground, crying silent tears as she watched her friends fight on her behalf. _How can I stop this? Who could stop this?_ Kim was loosing her sense of her conscious self inside the dream. The more it carried on the more real it became to her.

Coming towards her from the direction of the battle was a cloud of dust. As it came closer it resolved itself into the form of a car. A white and pink convertible to be exact. At top speed it approached Kim but she had neither the thought nor the power to move from her spot. She needn't have worried that it would hit her for the car spun, applying brakes and came to a complete stop just a few feet from where Kim knelt. The passenger door swung open and through the opening Kim could see the friendly, if not grimy, face of Katherine Hillard.

"Hurry up! Get in," Kat demanded of her. Kim didn't think to argue. With great effort she climbed into the car and the door automatically shut. Kat buckled her seatbelt for her and then quickly gunned the engine. Kimberly looked over at her replacement. Kat was all decked out in her hot pink Zeo uniform, but her helmet was nowhere to be seen. The material of the outfit was smudged all over with dirt and soot.

"What happened to you?" Kim asked fearing the answer.

"What do you think? I've been fighting that thing alone for years now. It's about time I got some help. I told you that they would lend a hand if you just let them, but oh no you just wouldn't listen to me." Kat chastised her as she sped down the runway and into the trees beyond.

"Where are we going?" Kim asked pleading silently for her friend to make it all go away, for someone to take her out of this nightmare.

"We're going to bring in the big guns." A beautiful smile touched her face making her blue eyes shine.

Kat said nothing more as she drove the convertible through the trees at brake neck speeds. Endless amounts of green screamed by Kim's eyes blurring to untouchable white. All at once the trees fell away and ahead of them was a large triangular opening in a volcano that was all too familiar. Kim started clawing at her seatbelt, desperate to get away, but it wouldn't budge. 

"No, no, no. We can't go back there! I've moved past that!" Kim screamed frantically as she tried to take control of the wheel. Kat fought back, pushing Kimberly away while driving into the opening.

"You think you've moved past this? You haven't ever been here." Kat told her, coming to a sliding stop. Kim's door popped open and she came tumbling out when the seatbelt disengaged. Kat exited the car and came to kneel beside her friend.

"Kim you're running out of time. You can't fight this anymore. You have to go to him." Kat said as she pointed over to Kim's right. Before her was Maligore's temple, exactly how she remembered it, except this time the only people there were her, Kat, Jason and Tommy. Jason was in his black undersuit that had been beneath his scuba gear on that fateful day and Tommy was exactly as he had been the first time she'd seen him, dark green tank-top and loose black pants, his hair curling just above his shoulders.

__

Oh God! Not this again! Don't make me choose. Kim tried to scramble away but Kat held her where she was.

"Come to me Kim. This is where you belong." Jason entreated holding out his hand to her.

"Yeah, Kimberly, come to me. You need someone to look after you." Tommy said a sad shy smile titling his lips even as his eyes sparked with something unimaginable.

"She doesn't need you to look after her. That's my duty." Jason told the ex-green ranger beside him, his fists clenched tight.

"And a piss poor job you've done of it, bro. I had to step in and take over when you up and left her high and dry." Tommy slapped Jason on the back and leaned in to stage whisper in his ear. "Don't worry Jase I'm going to take good care of her. Once she's mine she won't need you anymore."

"I won't let you take her away from me! She's mine. She always has been mine and she always will be mine!" Jason yelled just before he tackled Tommy to the ground.

The two combatants fought furiously. Throwing punches, breaking bone and bruising muscle. Kim watched horrified as the two friends tried to kill each other with their fists. She screamed for them to stop, sobbing each time, as one got hit by the other. Suddenly Tommy got an advantage over Jason and flipped him over his shoulder and into the circular lava pit, then just dissolved away. Kim's scream of denial was echoed by another deeper shout. From the shadows came a figure. He flung himself to the edge of the volcano and reached down catching Jason before the flames could consume him. There poised at the lip was Tommy, but not a Tommy she had ever seen before. This Tommy was older, his hair all but gone in the back and sides, and gelled into spikes on top wearing deep red racing overalls.

"Kim, help me understand what happened. Why did this happen?" Tommy begged her as he struggled to keep himself and Jason from falling in. "Why did you do this?"

"I… I tried not to Tommy. I'm sorry, but I tried not to," Kim whispered back.

"Kimberly, you have to go to them. You have to help them!" Kat shouted at her, as Kimberly remained unmoving on the ground. "They are the only ones that can save you. You are the only one that can save them." 

"That is utter nonsense. Next you'll be telling me that she's a Power Ranger or something, come to save the universe."

"Bloody hell! Not you again!" Kat exclaimed whirling to face her adversary. Behind Kat was Dr. Lucide. Kim had never seen him in a full-length lab coat before. During her therapy sessions he had always been causally dressed. The way he was dressed now made him look more like a medical doctor than a psychiatrist. Kim knew that Kat had never approved of the work Dr. Lucide had done, but the venom in her voice made Kim cringe. "You stay away from her! Don't you think that you did enough damage in Florida?"

"Me?" The doctor asked surprised. "I was not the one that drove this poor child into a coma." Dr. Lucide snapped his fingers and two burly orderlies in stark white uniforms came and grabbed each of Kat's arms. "It was her unhealthy obsession with those two… " he said with obvious distaste as he pointed to Tommy and Jason at the volcano's edge, "…that made her sick to begin with. If she had of just given herself over to Devin none of this would be happening."

Dr. Lucide turned his back on Kat and put his full concentration on Kimberly. "Now Miss. Hart. Why don't we try one of our meditation techniques and push all these nasty little thoughts and hallucinations out of your mind? You want to feel better don't you? You want to be able to function again don't you Miss. Hart?" Kim managed a weak nodded even as Kat yelled at her not to give in. All Kim wanted, all she ever wanted was for the confusion and the pain to go away. One of the orderlies punched the ex-pink ranger to quite her and Dr. Lucide drew Kim's attention back to himself.

"Now remember what I taught you. Deny the unreal. Ignore the impossible and concentrate on what is real and what is now."

Kimberly did as she was told, but as soon as she did she heard a shout from Tommy and Jason. Her eyes snapped to them and she saw that an invisible force was forcing Tommy over the edge. She cried out their names scrabbling to her feet and begged Tommy to hold on just a little longer. Dr. Lucide grabbed her around the waist and prevented her from going to them.

"Well, it looks like meditation alone isn't going to work. So, we'll just have to go to something stronger." With a wave of his hand a mesh like fence made of little white, red and pink pills was constructed in front of her. Kim forced her way loose from her old doctor, but when she crashed into the barrier it would not move.

"Tommy! Jason! Hold on! Please, just hold on!" She cried to them even as her hands stop bounding on the fence of pills. Each time her fists touched the barrier she could feel it sapping her strength and numbing her senses.

"Kimberly you have to let them go." Kim turned to see the latest figure here to torment her.

Beside her now was Devin, looking exactly like he had in Florida. Long curly midnight hair pulled back at the nape, warm dark brown eyes, and broad thick shoulders to carry all her worries away. He touched her cheek with one hand and rubbed her shoulder with the other. _Always so sweet and gentle just like Tommy_.

"You don't need them Kim. Jason left you a long time ago and Tommy doesn't need you…" Devin started to draw her face towards his, his breath touching her lips, "…like I need you."

"Kim don't listen to him. He's only trying to steal your heart!" Kat yelled at her, somehow managing to break free of the orderlies though they still kept her at bay.

"I love you Kim. I want you. I _need_ you." Devin told her as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. It was the letter she had sent to Tommy. She recognized it immediately, ever painful and cutting word of it. Kim started to cry and shake her head in denial. "See right here. You signed the contract. You belong to me now."

"Kim!" Tommy shouted. "I don't know how much longer I can hold on. You have to tell me what's going on!"

Kim looked at Tommy giving his all to try and help Jason, his friend, his best friend. She could see that he was ready and willing to force his friend out of the pit even if it meant taking Jason's place. Tommy fought the force that was pushing him and was able to get Jason up high enough so that he could hold on to the edge himself. Jason yelled at Tommy to 'not be a fool' and 'let him go he could take care of himself'. She smiled lovingly at them. _That_ was the Tommy that she had fallen in love with and still loved to this day, and _that_ was the Jason that had always inexplicably been a part of her. Identical but different, and her entire world.

"I'm sorry Devin," Kim said to the man that for a short time eased her pain, "But it doesn't matter anymore if they love me anymore or not. I still love them and I can't hold that back anymore. No matter what it might do to me." Kim pushed Devin away from her. "You left me when I got sick. They…" she pointed to Tommy and Jason,"…would have never done that. I made a mistake a long time ago, but I'm not going to repeat it."

"No!" Devin screamed as he tackled her to the ground. Dr. Lucide joined in and helped Devin to hold her down. Kim cried out for help and there was an explosion from the pit that drew all of their attention.

Stalking over was Jason, eyes blazing red, his voice deep and harsh as it had been while consumed by Maligore's influence.

"You will not touch her! No one may touch her unless I deem it!"

"Jason, calm down. Think this through." Tommy pleaded with his friend, but Jason just shook him off.

"You don't understand. You never did! She offered you a place and you rejected her!" Jason slammed his fists into the wall of linked pills, but it remained firm and turned to glare at Tommy. "You think too much and now look what it's done!"

"Neither one of you need her like I need her. You abandoned her and left her for me." Devin told them. He turned to Dr. Lucide. "Are you ready for the operation doctor?" Dr. Lucide pulled a scalpel from his pocket and handed it to Devin. Kim felt panic start to overwhelm her watching Devin handle the instrument.

"Here you go. Cut right between the love and the longing and that will get you where you need to go," the doctor instructed.

Kim struggled as the doctor held her arms above her head and Devin straddled her pelvis. She could hear Jason, Tommy and Kat yelling and screaming, but she couldn't pull her eyes away from Devin's hand. With a quick downward plunge the surgical knife sliced into her chest, right over her heart. Her one time love reached into the opening he had just created and rooted around. The pain was excruciating but Kim remained cognizant enough to recognize Devin's crestfallen expression.

"It's not here!" Devin exclaimed, now thrusting both hands inside her. Kim screamed in agony, she was being ripped apart. As she started to loose her hold on this reality, Kim heard Devin begin to cry. "It's not here, without it she can't fix me."

Light, sound and feeling faded away when the doctor told him, "There is another way."

Kim's eyes snapped open. She tried to leap out of her seat, but she had never unfastened her seat belt and she remained where she was. Her portfolio fell from her lap and spilled across the floor of the plane, but she didn't notice. Clawing at the belt's fastener she broke her nails down to the quick, the pain making her panic all the more. When the belt finally came free she darted to the bathroom, knocking people aside in her mad rush. 

Once inside she slammed the lock in place and ripped at her jeans' pocket to get at her pills. After last night's attack she had decide to place a few of her 'panic pills' in a thin box in her pocket. Then she finally got the container out and opened, she dumped the contents into her hand. A few stayed her in palm and the rest swirled down the sink, never to be seen again. She threw what she had into her mouth and started shoveling in water from the tap. Unable to help herself, Kim cupped the water in both of her hands and splashed her face. When that didn't seem to calm her she began to pour water over her head. Over and over again until she felt like she could breathe again.

"Miss, is everything alright?" a stewardess asked from the other side of the door. Kim looked at herself in the mirror. She was drenched from the waist up, there was blood on her cream jeans from her broken fingernails and her eyes resembled an animal ready to be rolled under the tires of a semi.

"I'm fine," she lied to her shakily. "Just got airsick all the sudden. I'll be fine"

"Alright Miss, but if you need anything let us know. Take as much time as you need."

__

You got a couple of years? Kim wanted to ask. She sank down to the floor and even with her petite frame it was a tight fit. She'd had thought her panic attacks where controlled years ago with her new round of meds after Muiranthias and the hallucinations she hadn't had since she started her original round of therapy and medications with Dr. Lucide back in Florida. _So why were they showing up now? Am I going to have another episode like I did in Miami?_

Kim pushed that thought aside. She knew what to look for now, she wasn't going to let herself fall victim to her own mind. It was just too important for her now to return home. All she had to do was tell her physiatrist in London what was going on and he would up her dosage or maybe even give her a new medication. Now that she was going to be separated from Kat, Kim knew that she was going to need something to take up the slack of not have her friend's constant support once she moved. The medications maybe a crutch, but at least she would be able to walk with them.

She stayed there on the floor for quiet some time meditating, waiting for the pills to kick in. She banished all images from her dream into a back corner of her mind where they wouldn't bother her again. She wasn't strong enough to handle them right now, maybe when she had her next counseling session she'd bring them out. Then she thought better of it. How could she possibly explain the ranger references, without revealing too much? No, she would have to deal with this on her own. Kim knew that the pills she had swallowed had taken effect when all of her perceptions started to dull and her muscles began to feel like jelly. She giggled at the thought of her arms being rubbery mint jelly.

Kim left the bathroom and returned to her seat. The stewardess came by to check on her and she smiled drunkenly and told her she was 'fine, just fine'. It seemed like only minutes later that they were preparing to land, but since her clothes had dried Kim guess she had passed out. After the plane docked Kim had a horrible time trying to gather up her portfolio that she had dropped, but the stewardess from earlier helped her.

"Dramamine?" the older lady asked when she handed Kim her stuff. It took a minute for Kimberly to realize that the stewardess thought that she had taken the motion sickness drug and was now feeling the effects of it.

"Yeah, it will kick you in the 'you know what' if you're not careful."

The older lady nodded her agreement then ushered Kim out of the plane and into the terminal. She thanked the nice woman for her assistance and then headed towards the rendezvous point. Kim often flew in and out of London for business. Her and Kat realized early on that they had to have a single meeting point not based on what gate Kimberly was arriving at to meet each other. 

Just ahead was her destination, Starbuck's Coffee, and perfectly framed in the window her soon to be ex-roommate Katherine Hillard. Kimberly took a moment to observe Kat as she had done a million times before. The beautiful champagne blonde was poking absently at the foam on the top of her expresso as she read the magazine in front of her. It was a perfect picture, one that Kim wanted to commit to memory so that she could recreate it on canvas. 

Kat's baby soft, shoulder length, softly curled hair was lightly pulled back by hidden combs at either side of her head. Almond shaped, deep sapphire colored eyes set in a perfectly symmetrical face was her friend's finest physical facet. Her make-up was light, really only shell pink lipstick, mascara and eyeliner to enhance Kat's already exotic features. Kim knew that the flush on her flawless ivory skin was completely natural and lightened and darkened depending on her mood. Kimberly thought that Miss. Hillard was unquestionably a striking young lady by anyone's standards. _That's probably why I have so many portraits of her_.

To date Kim had already created a dozen works with Kat as the subject. There were multiple ones of Kat performing at the ballet in various costumes from traditional tutu to full body paint. Kim had a few choice favorites. There was the oil painting of Kat reading a book in her favorite wingback leather chair, her feet tucked underneath her and a cup of cocoa steaming on the coffee table in front of her. She had a watercolor of a topless Kat sunbathing (face down of course) on a mint and pink striped towel during their holiday to the French Riviera. Kim's all time favorite: Kat preparing for her first awards ceremony at the dance academy. It was a memory that never failed to bring a smile to Kimberly's face.

Katherine had been so nervous that evening, pacing the floor, worrying about her hair, her dress, and her make-up. Kim had just sat back and watched her usually composed friend work herself into a frenzy before finally telling her to settle down. She had already gotten ready for the event, choosing a very simple black slip dress for the occasion; Kimberly had not wanted anything to distract from her friend's big moment. Kat's floor length dress had been a dark coral, spaghetti strapped creation that had made her alabaster skin glow with natural radiance. It had been cut low both in the front and the back, but not indecently so, and the sequins and crystals that had dotted the material had shown off Kat's tone and trim body perfectly, as if the slit up the right side to her thigh didn't. 

The painting that she had created came from when Kat had called for Kim's assistance from their bathroom. She had walked in to find Kat posing in the full-length mirror there. Kat had just pulled her curlers from her hair and the light blonde mass had been thick with sausage curls that had bounced on her shoulders as she moved. The dancer had been gazing into the mirror on her tiptoes to simulate her wearing her high-heeled shoes as she held the sides of her hair back from her face to see if she wanted to wear it up. The back of Kat's dress had been partially unzipped were she hadn't been able to finish it herself. When Kat had seen Kim in the mirror she had smiled. That was the moment that Kimberly had encapsulated in her full sized portrait of her friend.

Kat had been all at once a graceful dancer, a beautiful woman, an excited young girl, and a friend. Katherine was all of those things and so much more to Kimberly. The blonde had been the one to save Kim from her physical isolation and possibly another complete mental breakdown. From Kimberly's letters that she had taken to writing after Zordon's death, Kat had known that the original pink ranger had been living in London for a few weeks, but she hadn't seen or heard from her at all during that time. Worried, Kat had setout to find Kim. With a fair amount of detective work, Kat had found Kim in her small studio, sleeping on a mattress on the floor, living off of coffee and Danishes from the café across the street.

Kimberly had known that she had looked a site. Ten pounds under weight, circles under her glassy eyes and a gray parlor to her skin from keeping herself indoors all the time. Kat had taken no argument when she had dragged Kim from the hallow, empty space to her loft apartment. Within hours Katherine had moved her into her home and had taken charge of Kim's life. Now that Kimberly reflected on those past events she wondered that maybe her intentions when she had moved to London had been to find someone to take care of her. 

Paris had never felt like home, just as Miami had never felt quite right. It had taken two years before her mother let Kim out of her sight after her hospitalization in Florida, but as soon as her mother let go of the apron strings Kim had run to London. Angel Grove always was and always would be home to Kimberly, but two and a half years ago she couldn't bring herself to go there. The doctors' had advised that until she could control her emotional state that returning to California would have only cause a relapse. So, Kim had run to the only person that she knew might be able to comfort her, understand her.

Kat knew what it had been like to be a ranger, something that Kim just couldn't talk about with her therapist. She could understand how it was magical, wonderful and terrifying all at once. There was also the advantage that Kat knew both Tommy and Jason, and could understand why Kim had always refused her councilors advise to never have contact with them again. And on an even stranger note, Kat knew what it was like to be in love with Tommy, something that Kim had never dreamed could be an asset.

The past two years had been wonderful for Kim. Her and Kat had become closer than she had ever thought possible considering on Muiranthias Kim would have gleefully ripped Kat's arm from it's socket. Kat had recharged Kim's waning zeal for life in general and had gotten her dreaming of a future again. Things she had lost when she had left Angel Grove for Florida. Kimberly had even told Katherine the whole story about how she had gotten sick, the hundreds upon hundreds of tests performed on her to derive the cause, meeting Devin and letting go of Tommy, then the coma. Kim had told Kat how she had woken up nearly two months later to find that Devin had left her, that none of her friends had ever even known that she had been ill and the final blow, to be told that she had not a physical problem, but a mental one. 

Kimberly could fill a book with the list of mental illnesses that Dr. Lucide had given her. Topping the list were paranoid schizophrenia, social anxiety, manic-depressive, he had even hinted that she might have multiple personalities based on the visions and periods of lost time she experienced. Kim had had doctors in Florida, Paris and even London, but none of them really helped. They just gave her more medication to stem the tide of symptoms. It had been Kat that had healed her heart, mind and soul where therapists had not. Kat listened to all Kim had to say without judgment. She had told Kat things that she had never told anyone, not even her childhood friends. She had been too embarrassed by her lack of control, something her old friends seemed to have an abundance of. 

Trini had always been Kim's ideal, the perfect woman. She was feminine but far from weak and oh so graceful and beautiful. Trini had an ethereal way about her had made you feel like you'd been touched by something very special and mystical. The thought of soiling the Asian woman's image of her was abhorrent to Kimberly. 

Zack was the ultimate pal, the guy you hung out and had a good time with. He was Kim's constant reminder of her carefree childhood existence, untouched by time or travesty. She couldn't bare the loss of that feeling of innocence that connection with the past and all its simple wonders. When she looked at Zack all she wanted to see was his lust for life not his pity.

If Kim could have told anyone it would have been Billy. He had the ability to be both scientist and friend, analyzing the problem with cold efficiency then turn around and give you advise laden with caring and understanding. But Billy was star hopping, seeing the universe and all it's glory and Kim couldn't bring herself to waste what little time she had to talk to him with her own problems.

Then there was Jason, one half of the source of her problems. Kimberly couldn't place why Jason was so important to her, why he was so integral to her thoughts and actions. It had always just been that way for as long as she could remember. He was father, brother, friend and leader. He was the anchor from which she branched from, drawing out the patterns of her life but always returning to the person she called home. The doctors called it sick, obsessive and unhealthy for her to center her self on a single individual, then they had heard about Tommy and that's when the real heavy drugs came out. She was not only neurotic about one male but two, and they just couldn't allow that for her own mental health. She couldn't tell Jason about her illness, no matter how much her essence cried out for her to do so. To see his disappointment in her would have been too much. 

No, Katherine had been the best ultimate choice. The two of them were so alike in so many ways it was uncanny sometimes. Kimberly knew that had been why she had chosen Kat in the first place to carry on in her stead. Plus Kat knew what it was like to be controlled by evil and enjoy it. The ex-Zeo ranger could relate to the freedom and rush of being completely set loose from your own morality, to become your own opposite. Katherine was as imperfect as Kimberly was and the two of them had found common ground in that.

Kimberly had confessed to Kat how her odd conflicting feelings for Tommy had led her to fall for another man, even if it was for a short time. How when he had taken the White Ranger power their relationship changed and she couldn't tell anymore if Tommy was her friend or her boyfriend. She even told Kat about how Dr. Lucide thought that she was transposing her feelings for one person to another, specifically Jason to Tommy, because of Jason's absence in her life at the time. That it had been this confusion of emotions and Kim's inability to deal with it that had sent her into a self induced coma. They had told her that it had been a cry for help and attention. Kim only hoped that she was strong enough now with the medications' help to stand on her own in Angel Grove without her friend there to listen to her fears every evening. She wasn't in a relationship with Tommy any longer so there shouldn't be a conflict anymore. Moving back was unquestionably her biggest step.

Knowing that she had spent far too long staring at her friend through the window, Kim looked down at herself to make sure she didn't look too bad after her attack on the plane. She pulled her sweater down farther over her bloodied pocket and hid her damaged nails under her coat that she had draped over her arm. Confident that she would pass for being travel worn, Kim walked into Starbuck's. Kat saw her approaching and waved. Kim waved back and smiled when her friend stood up to greet her. 

"Long trip?" Kat asked when she hugged Kimberly, not letting go even when Kim answered.

"You could say that."

"Well, I've found something that's bound to knock your socks off." Kat reached over and grabbed her sports magazine from the table. "Look at this!"

Kim took it from the bouncing woman and rolled her eyes. _Probably another swim hunk or boxing stud_, Kim thought to herself as she skimmed over the page. It didn't take long to figure out which picture Kat had been referring to. In the top right hand corner was a photo taken of the winner of some race or another. The subject of photo had captured Kim's attention so completely that she didn't even see what race it was. There, arms raised in triumph, surrounded by his race crew was Tommy Oliver, but not the one that she remembered from high school. 

A flash of buried memory from Kim's earlier dream came to the surface. The two were identical. Dark hair cut close in the back and sides, wild spikes crowning his head. Age had matured his features but had done nothing but made him more attractive. Deep, blood red racing overalls covered with adds from sponsors were an exact match to the ones in her dreams. Kim made a mental note to call her doctor when she woke up just before she fainted dead away.

End part 4


	5. 5: Tommy's Troubles

Standard fanfiction disclaimers: I don't own the characters much to my dismay. I have not intentionally tried to steal anyone's idea. This story centers on Jason, Kim and Tommy. I will have some original characters show up at some point, but please don't use them without asking first.

Sorry it took so long for this chapter. I was… detained. For anyone that hasn't read them yet I highly recommend Starhawk's First Saga. It can be found at FanFiction.net as well as at Starhawk's Aerie. It kept me thoroughly entertained and occupied for over a week. Now I have to wait for the next chapter so its back to my story.

Back in the System

A Power Rangers Story

Part Five: Tommy's Troubles

By PaperKat

Tommy flipped over his pillows with an exasperated huff. Not seeing what he wanted, he then smoothed his hands down the comforter of his bed, feeling for any tale tell bumps or lumps. _Not there either_, he thought to himself feeling his frustration level beginning to rise. He had spent the last ten minutes taking apart his recently cleaned trailer, searching for his car keys. Tommy put the pillows back in place at the head of the bed and then sat to think where he had seen them last. He knew that he had them this morning, he had driven to the local Waffle House for breakfast. _But what did I do with them when I got back_, he asked himself.

This was going to be the first honest to goodness vacation he had had in four years. _I am not going to be late for my first vacation!_ Tommy vowed, leaning forward to take a quick look under the bed between his feet, just in case he had accidentally kicked them there. Not seeing anything there either he jerked his head up and his right hand went automatically to his scalp to brush his hair back. Encountering only short gelled spikes, Tommy grinned at his mistake. He'd had his hair short for three months now and he still hadn't gotten use to it not being there. 

The hair cut had been a spur of the moment decision. Tommy had just felt a need for a change, someway to signal that his life wasn't as stagnate as it appeared to be. He had heard somewhere once that a lot of your spiritual power was in your hair and that changing it, by cutting it or letting it grow, altered your energy flow. Well, something sure changed, because the very next race he won for the first time and the cut had had the added advantage that he wasn't looked upon as a kid anymore. At least not by the fans, the crew still considered him a babyface though. 

This wasn't the first opportunity he'd had to take a vacation in four years, but this was the first time that Tommy had felt like he needed it. The years since he'd given his place and powers to TJ had gone by as a blur to Tommy. Racing had occupied every waking moment of his life. Practice, training, traveling and then there were the endless meetings with sponsors and promoters. He hadn't had time to think about anything else. It wasn't until his uncle's daughter came to visit last week with her newborn son, that Tommy began to realize that if he wasn't careful the rest of his life would probably pass him by just as fast as the last few years had.

Sometimes it was hard to believe what changes had occurred in such a seemingly short amount of time. Adam had chosen not to attend college to everyone's surprise and had been completely independent since high school, doing what he loved for a living in Hollywood. Aisha was back from Africa, finally feeling that her work there was done and had been given an opportunity to work at her old radio station in Stone Canyon and hopefully that would lead to a more promising proposition. While Zack and Trini hadn't really changed location or occupation, both were now full-fledged diplomats in Geneva, but the state of their personal lives had taken a rather dramatic turn, they were engaged to be married! Which was almost as mind boggling as the fact that Justin, the youngest ranger ever, was actually married at the age of 17.

If Tommy had to have guessed who would have been married first he would have guessed… well, him and Kim, but that had become impossible after The Letter. Out of his remaining friends, Kat would have been his next choice, but the lovely, loving blonde didn't seem to be the least bit interested in a romantic life at this time. She was far too content living in London, dancing full time for the theatre and paling around with Kim, whom also seemed to be perfectly happy where she was and alone. Tanya had chosen to pursue a career as a brain surgeon and making the grade at Harvard hadn't afforded her the opportunity to have a social life. That left Billy, Jason and Rocky.

Wherever Billy was Tommy was confident that if the ex-blue ranger were with someone that he was serious about they would have known about it. Not only would Kim have shouted it out for all of them to hear, but also he had a strong feeling that Billy would have a hard time being with someone that he hadn't shown off to the rest of them. Rocky, the consummate bachelor, had been dating steadily from what Tommy had heard, but hadn't found one girl to hold his interest. Tommy knew how important family was to Rocky so there wasn't any question in his mind _if_ Rocky would get married, it was only a matter of when and who. Then there was Jason.

Tommy had no clue why his best friend was still single, in every since of the word. He knew that it wasn't due to lack of offers. They had had more than a few get-togethers through the years that had been interrupted by women asking Jason out or giving their phone numbers to him. In high school, while Tommy was still dating Kim, Jason turned them all away saying that he just didn't have the time while being a ranger for dating. When Jason had gone to the peace conference and Tommy had asked him if he had meet anyone there, the ex-red ranger had only replied that there was no one there that had appealed to him. Once back in Angel Grove as the Gold Ranger, Jason seemed a bit more interested, Emily being the most notable candidate, but that fizzled out almost before it had started.

He knew what most people thought, that Jason was gay. After all what could you say about a guy that was more than passably good looking (according to all the female rangers), that didn't have any glaring personality flaws, didn't smoke, didn't drink, didn't do drugs and that hadn't had a girlfriend… EVER. Tommy had once asked Kim if Jason was more interested in men than women, not because his friend had ever given him any indication that he was gay, but the circumstantial evidence had made him wonder. Kim had laughed so hard that Tommy had thought she would pass out with lack of oxygen. When she had been able to talk again, Kimberly had informed him that Jason just had very high and maybe slightly unrealistic standards. She had continued on with a far off, dreamy look in her eyes saying that when their friend did find that exceptionally lucky girl that there wouldn't be anyone in heaven or on earth that wouldn't know about it.

Tommy had loved every minute of his racing career so far. The fast pace, the excitement, the danger and the control without leadership responsibilities had been exactly what he had needed. Tommy honestly couldn't think of another line of work that could have possibly satisfied him after being a ranger for so long. But now, after winning his first big race just three months ago, Tommy felt like his life was lacking something… or maybe someone. Sighing dejectedly at the familiar turn of his thoughts, Tommy once again checked his pants' pocket for his keys. Seeing that they had not miraculously appeared, Tommy decided to check out the bathroom. 

More and more his thoughts had been drifting to the world outside of racing, something that he'd had little contact with of late. Tommy hadn't heard from anyone outside of the racing team for nearly four months now, which wasn't anyone's fault other than his own. Despite having been in command of some of the most advanced technology Earth humans had ever seen, Tommy still hadn't gotten himself a home computer so e-mailing was impossible. The secondary mode of communication, cell phones, worked pretty well, when you knew where you put them. To date Tommy had lost four cells to the void of his Swiss cheese memory. Surprisingly it had been good old fashion snail mail that had been keeping Tommy abreast of current events in his friends' lives. 

To his amazement it had been Kim that had been the one to supply almost all the letters. He got the occasional correspondence from the others, but Kim never went more than two weeks without sending something. But since those letters were sent to his parents' home in Angel Grove, unless he went home to visit he wouldn't see them. Tommy hadn't even seen his own family in almost four months, so he was severely out of the loop with anything outside of racing and he was starting to feel it. He hadn't really been lonely these past couple of years, but recently especially when the crew's families would visit he'd stop and wonder how his life could have turned out differently. 

He and Kat had gone their separate ways fairly soon after she had left to go to the academy. What had started as a major crush on Kat's part and a need to 'go on' on Tommy's end, had turned into a deep comfortable friendship. Which had been fine with the both of them since their lives had taken them on totally separate journeys. They had been in love, but it had been the type of puppy love that most teenagers go through in high school. They had gone to movies, they had gone to dances, they had gone on outings and all the other little things that a boyfriend and girlfriend do, just as he had with Kimberly. _But it had been_ _nothing like what Kim and me had,_ Tommy quickly amended his thought, _what I felt for Kim_. 

Feeling uncomfortable by the turn in his thoughts, Tommy quickly finished searching the bathroom and moved to the small dinette to search there again for his missing keys. It amazed him sometimes how much it still could hurt thinking about his ex-girlfriend. The anger had long since dissipated, but the pain lingered. Time and maturity had made Tommy realize that sometimes things, no matter how badly you wanted them, just don't work out. _But it doesn't make the wanting go away_, Tommy thought sadly as he pulled open every drawer and kitchen cabinet searching. 

Unable to help himself, Tommy's thoughts returned to that old wound. He seemed to go through this every time he went back to Angel Grove, even though Kim no longer lived there. What still hurt him the most, even after all this time, was to think that he had totally read Kimberly wrong. Tommy had always thought that he was a good judge of character. He would have staked his life on the fact that Kim had been as in love with him as he had been with her, and then to hear in a letter that her feelings had just been brotherly. Brotherly, God that had cut deeper than anything else had. 

He could have understood if she had just fallen out of love with him, it had happened to him and Kat after all. Or he could have seen that some guy came in and swept her off her feet, because he hadn't been around to protect what was his. But, for her to say that in some ways she felt like he was her brother!

__

It sure has hell didn't feel like she thought of me as her brother that last night we spent together, Tommy thought sourly as he jerked up his jacket from the table and slammed out the door. He and Kim had gotten closer than they ever had at being actual physical lovers that night. That last encounter had haunted him for years, because it hadn't been him that had instigated it, but Kimberly. She had been all but begging him to make love to her, but he hadn't been willing to have their first time be out in public and completely unprotected.

Tommy had always known that he had been walking a fine line when it came to having a relationship with Kimberly. From the very start he could see the way the team had treated her a little bit differently. She had been the favorite little sister to a group of overprotective siblings. They never were too overt about it in front of Kim, but Tommy had seen it. Once, in the very beginning when he had first joined the team, Tommy had caught the team discussing Kim's love life or more accurately his possible future role in it, at the Youth Center.

"Well, I think it's great that Kim's _finally_ fallen head over heels for a guy," Trini had told the others, a dreamy smile on her face. Tommy had just turned the corner into the Center when the mention of Kim's name had brought him up short. He had stopped to listen in when Trini's grin had turned teasing and she turned to Billy. "For awhile there I thought that Billy had ruined her for all other men."

Tommy still remembered how surprised he had been to find out that Billy had been Kim's first major childhood crush. He had watched Billy blush crimson when Trini had nudged his shoulder with her own. Zack and Jason just chuckled when the flustered blonde boy had adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. 

"I highly doubt that Trini," Billy had told her and then addressed the others. "It's not that I see Tommy as an unsuitable counterpart for Kimberly. I am just apprehensive that there may be a possibility that Rita's spell has unforeseen side effects and/or there may be a high probability that Rita will target Tommy again in the future."

Tommy had nearly choked on his own sudden gasp to realize that they had been talking about Kimberly and himself, not some other guy and the pink ranger. It had floored him to think that Kim had been, as Trini had put it, 'head over heels' for him. He had known that she had been at least interested, but to be head over heals? Billy's comment about him being a possible target had been his own main concern, and one of the reasons he had not attempted to ask Kimberly out.

Tommy hadn't been nearly as shy as everyone had thought he was. If it hadn't of been for Rita's spell and being forced into being Rita's Green Ranger he probably would have asked Kim out that very next day at school after meeting her by the lockers. Even after the spell was broken by Jason, he had had concerns that he could unwillingly hurt someone if Rita's control became active again somehow. That had been the reason that he had willingly endured all the tests Billy had performed on him following his liberation from the forces of evil.

"And you think that Kim might be in the middle of it," Jason had concluded, after Billy nodded the red ranger just shook his head. "We're all possible targets, Billy, including Kimberly by nature of what we do. It would be ridiculous to believe that being with Tommy would be anymore dangerous than her being with us, except if that danger came from Tommy himself."

"You don't really think that Tommy's just bluffing us, do ya?" Zack had asked leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. When Jason had given a helpless shrug, Zack had turned his attention to Billy. "You did run tests on Tommy, didn't you?"

"Yes, but not all of them are completed yet."

"I think you're all being paranoid," Trini had scolded them. "Tommy's a great guy and Kim really likes him. Besides, what could it hurt? If he doesn't work out we'll send Jason here after him and he'll be long gone like that Bobby guy."

"Bobby Jenson was a big mistake," Jason had growled under his breath and even his friends had seemed to cringe at his tone. It certainly had made an impression on Tommy, don't fuck with Kim unless you wanted a pissed off Jason coming at you. "I should have never let him get near her."

"It is not your fault that Robert turned out to be such an unsavory individual," Billy had assured his friend even as he had frowned his displeasure.

"Yeah, man. How were you suppose to know that creep wasn't even going to wait for the lights to go out before he started making the moves on Kim?" 

"Problem is that we can't just 'get rid' of Tommy, if things didn't go well between him and Kim." The other three teens had looked at him questioningly. 

Even Tommy at the time had been wondering how Jason figured he wasn't expendable. The others had been a team long before he had gotten there, and he certainly hadn't done anything to make them trust or like him. Why couldn't they just tell him to hit the road if he upset Kimberly in someway or any of them for that matter? Jason's next comment had gone a long way to forging the permanent bond the two now shared, a bond that Tommy had never been able to equal in all these years. 

"I meant it when I said he's one of us now. If it turns out that he can still be affected by Rita's spell, or if she comes back looking for revenge we'll _all_ deal with it, as a team." The others nodded their agreement without hesitation, and to Tommy it had looked like they had all meant it too. Having seen that his team was with him Jason had continued. "If Kim and Tommy hook up and it doesn't work out, we'll deal with that too, no matter how weird it may get."

"Billy, Jimmy, Johnny, Bobby, Tommy…" Zack had said out loud thoughtfully. "What is with that girl and the Y at the end of the name?"

"She does appear to be developing a predictable pattern," Billy had agreed, smiling at his steepled fingers.

"Maybe if I'd stuck with Zachary Kim would have let me play with her Battle Cat action figure back in third grade."

"I doubt it Zack," Jason had chuckled, patting his friend on the back. "_I_ wasn't even allowed to touch that thing let alone play with it, and I'm the one that bought it for her for her birthday."

The group had gone back to normal everyday topics at that point and Tommy had then joined them as if he had not been listening. That had been the first time that he had felt like he was apart of their team. He had felt himself click into place among them like he had always been there, like he had always belonged there. He had finally recognized that the smiles had been genuine not just polite and any questions that were passed his way Tommy had known that there had been nothing behind them other than the one asking had just wanted to know him better. 

He had learned a lot that day about these old friends and the way they thought and felt about each other. It had been something that Tommy had desperately wanted to be apart of and they had thrown the door wide open for him. Not knowing in the beginning if he had wanted the other rangers' friendship more than a relationship with Kim, Tommy had bided his time. He had known that if he had truly wanted a relationship with Kim, he couldn't go about it haphazardly like he did everything else. Letting his emotions and hormones led the way, the other rangers would have never stood for it. As embarrassing as it was for him to admit, Tommy knew that the first time he'd seen Kim, he had fallen for her looks not her personality. 

It still made him grin to think about the first time that he had seen the original pink ranger. Kim had been almost as still as a statue as she had watched him warm-up before the match. She had caught his eye immediately when he had gone out on the mats. Kimberly had been shapely in all the right places and even her short stature had appealed to him immensely. There had been something just utterly feminine to him about her petite frame that you just didn't get in tall, extra leggy glamour girls. Thank goodness he had had the match with Jason to distract him or he might have been the one staring. 

If Tommy had of tried to start a relationship with Kimberly _just_ because he had been physically attracted to her back then he might as well of signed his own death warrant no matter what Jason had said about him being a member of the team. Tommy had known that above the others Jason had been the most protective of Kim. At first he had tried just not starting anything at all with her, just being her teammate and friend, but that had gotten increasingly hard incredibly fast. 

It had only taken a few weeks for his physical attraction to be compounded and complimented with a genuine liking of her company. He soon realized why Kim had been so adored by her friends. She had had a way of making every moment special, finding that silver lining in bad situations and she had never let a day pass without at least one smile to brighten your day. Tommy had found himself trying to find ways of spending more time with Kim even as he had tried to stay aloof. When he had started daydreaming about just talking to her without the others around, he had known he was in deep. He had been falling in love and he had enjoyed every moment of it. Memories of that time were some of Tommy's best. He had finally found a place where he belonged, with friends that would have done anything for him and a girl that had made him feel alive and special like no one had ever done before. _Or since_, Tommy thought morosely to himself. 

It hadn't been until he had lost his Green Ranger powers that first time that he had started to realize how deeply his feelings for Kimberly ran. Yes, it had been physically painful to lose his powers, and he had known that not being apart of the team anymore would affect his friendship with the other rangers, even though they all had said that it wouldn't. But it had been the thought of not having that connection with Kim, that reason to see her constantly, which had finally scared him into action. With a slight push from Zack, of course.

Tommy sighed to himself at the memory of those days after finally breaking down and kissing Kim then asking her out. Even though he had been living with the threat of losing his temporary powers at any moment he had never been happier with Kim. Then he had lost his powers all together and depression had set in. He and Kim had been a couple but the complete loss of his powers had left him doubting his place in her life again. When Zordon offered him the White Ranger powers, Tommy had jumped at the chance.

For a time everything had been like it had been before despite him now being in the leader role, that was until Jason had left. Tommy knew now that unconsciously he had been using his best friend's presence as a back up. In the back of his mind Tommy had known that Jason wouldn't let things get too out of hand without stepping in. If Tommy had really messed up Jason would have let him know it without preamble, but once Jason was gone, Tommy didn't have that safety net anymore. He had to function on his own, make his own decisions, deal with new rangers that had never had to work as a team and what was even worst was that Kim had fallen completely apart. 

Tommy had caught her one-day in the Command Center hanger crying her eyes out next to the damaged red dragon thunder zord, whimpering Jason's name. The site had pole axed him. He had always known that the two of them had been close, but he had no idea that Jason's leaving would cause Kim so much pain. Not for the first time Tommy had wondered if there had been more to Kim and Jason's relationship than mer friendship. Kimberly had hid distress well from the others, and he had suspected that maybe Billy had an idea that she was having a rough time of it, but she steadfastly kept her misery to herself. To see her in pain, needing someone to look after her and direct her had made Tommy decided to be the best ranger and leader he could possibly be.

He had thrown himself into the role, trying to fill the void that Jason had left. Tommy couldn't replace Jason as her friend, but he had tried his level best to at least give her the peace of mind that as a leader he had been just as capable. It had been a tricky proposition, being Kim's leader one moment then switching modes to be her boyfriend the next. Tommy hadn't know if he had been coming or going in those days, but gradually Kim started to respond to the change and had adapted to the loss of Jason's physical presence in her life.

Being the White Ranger had been really tough on Tommy. Not only had he been given the leadership role that he hadn't quite been expecting, but also he had had the added pressure of living up to the White Ranger myth of being the best. The only time he had felt normal had been when he had been alone with Kim, and even then he had had the specter of Jason Scott over his head.

The more pressure he had experienced the more he had wanted to loose himself in Kimberly. He would daydream constantly about being with her intimately, drowning himself in her and blocking the rest of the world out so it would be just the two of them. Then he'd remember Jason and Tommy had no doubts that the ex-ranger would have hopped the first flight back to give him a lesson on why he couldn't use Kimberly as 'stress relief'. It had felt a little bit like he was trying to take advantage of Kim, being her leader and all. Besides, Kim just wasn't that kind of girl. _Funny, I never had that problem with Kat_, Tommy thought to himself a little embarrassed. Somehow, Tommy had learned to control himself, keeping his baser thoughts to himself and letting only the deep love and affection show through. Then there had been that weekend and the last time he had ever spent anytime alone with Kim. 

That weekend had been magical to Tommy. During a short two-day reprieve in training, Kim had convinced her mother to let her come to Angel Grove. All of the Zeo rangers including Billy had met Kim at the airport then they had spent the entire day together as a group. They had gone to the Youth Center, the park, the lake; they even made a stop at the Power Chamber so Kim could see Zordon. Amazingly enough it had been Zordon that had reminded the group that maybe Kimberly and Tommy would like to spend some time alone. They had laughed at their friends' sheepish expression just before they had en masse teleported out of the chamber.

Dinner and a movie had been the original plan they had made, but Kim had suddenly decided that she'd rather have the evening be the two of them without distraction. A quick stop at KFC to pick up some suitable picnic food and they had headed for the park. Tommy had laid out his emergency blanket from his truck for them and they had talked and laughed all through their meal. He had always loved to listen to Kim talk. Others might have perceived her rolling topic changes as being air-headed, but Tommy had always thought of it more as a way to see into Kim's mind. Whatever she thought she said, no matter how trivial or meaningful.

He had contently listened, laid out on his side, his upper body propped up by his elbow, as she had rambled on about anything that had come to her mind. He had watched the expression change on her face depending on the topic, her body and hand gestures acting out everything she had said. There had been another reason that Tommy had tried to concentrate on Kim's voice and face. He had been desperately trying not to notice the way the knot she had tied below her breasts in her thin rose colored T-shirt had molded the material to her chest. Or that her cut-off jean shorts had showed off her legs, made even more sleek and shapely by the training that she had been undergoing. Tommy had been fighting his desires for Kim from the very beginning of their relationship. At first he had held back because of the other team members then it had been out of respect for Kimberly, but in that moment all his resolve had failed him.

He had wanted her so badly that evening and he had missed her so much that just being able to look at her and be with her had been enough to drown his senses. He had already been in a daze when Kimberly had started to crawl her way to him from across the old worn blanket. Tommy hadn't been able to or wanted to protest when she had slid her body next to his. He had been helpless to do anything more than let his eyes drift closed when she had started to kiss him and play with his hair.

Before long, Kim had worked him over onto his back and herself onto his thighs. It had taken him a moment to realize that his shirt had been pulled from his pants and pushed up his chest. Kim had somehow managed to work his belt free without his assistance and had been working on pushing the material of his pants downward. As little bits of reality had forced their way into his pleasure-fogged mind, Tommy had found himself tugging at the knot in her shirt as she had moved her mouth across his bared chest. 

Kim had moaned out loud and it had been like a bucket of ice water over his head to Tommy. He had never heard her make such a noise in all the time they had been together and he had realized it had been because he had worked his other hand into the back of her shorts and had been unconsciously massaging the flesh there. Startled by how fast things had gotten out of hand, Tommy had sat up quickly, but that hadn't dislodged Kimberly much. She had continued her assault on his senses by biting and licking at his neck while her hands had trailed down his rippled abdomen. When her fingertips had passed his navel and made an attempt to delve behind his underwear, Tommy had been forced to place Kimberly beside him or lose his mind.

Tommy remembered stumbling through an apology as he had tried to put his clothing to rights. When he had spared a look at Kim he had noticed that she looked a bit embarrassed also. He had cursed his lack of control when he had seen the way Kimberly had hung her head, hiding her face and refused to meet his eyes afterward. When he had been more decently covered, he had offered to take Kim back to Kat's where she had been staying. Kim had agreed and they had hardly spoken a word on the way over. The next day all of them had met again for a day of just hanging out, but it had been interrupted before it got started by Zordon's call. He had never gotten to say good-bye to her, and by the time the fight had been done Kim had already taken her flight back to Florida.

It had been only three weeks later that he had received the letter that had ripped his heart unceremoniously from his chest and plopped it still beating at his feet. Tommy had been completely blind-sided by Kim's letter, and for months afterward he had wondered. Over the years he had replayed that night again and again, wondering that maybe if he had of given in that Kimberly wouldn't have left him. Tommy forced himself to stop thinking about the past and things he couldn't change. _Water under the bridge, Oliver. Just find your stupid keys!_

Tommy made his way around his trailer hoping that maybe he had left his keys in his '69 Firebird. After an hour of searching through the interior of the car and his packed suitcase in the passenger seat, Tommy finally admitted defeat. He looked through the back windshield at his race crew pretending not to watch him, and Tommy could see that by the way they were chuckling that they knew exactly where his keys where. As he approached them he readied himself for the teasing he was about to get.

"Anyone seen my keys?" Tommy asked, trying to get the ribbing done and over with as soon as possible.

"What'z it worth to ya?" Ricky asked, stoking his short black goatee. The other guys snickered.

"Come on guys. I what to be in Angel Grove by nightfall," Tommy reminded them.

"Ah, hot date with an old honey?" Jim asked, knowing full well what it would lead to.

"Naw, man. You know both his ex-girls are in London," Ricky winked at the rest of the guys before continuing, "living with each other."

Tommy could feel the blush burn his neck as the guys laughed at the old joke. It never failed to fluster Tommy to be reminded that his two high school girlfriends had been roommates for such a long time. There were always naughty little suggestions about the girls' relationship that Tommy had stop trying to forestall a long time ago. The guys were going to say whatever they wanted, plus they only did it because they knew it got a reaction out of him. Of course it didn't help matters that Kim's letters almost always came with pictures of the two of them and a boyfriend was never mentioned, for either of them which had always puzzled him. _What ever happened to the 'One' that Kim had left me for?_ Tommy thought snidely to himself.

Adding insult to injury, not once had he heard word one about the guy in Florida. Of course it _had_ been three years between when Kim had broken up with him and when she had started writing her letters after Zordon's death. A lot could have happen in that time, but nothing was ever said in any of the letters Kimberly or any of his other friends had written. Tommy imagined that if anyone did know it would be Jason or Kat, and neither one of them would probably tell him just to spare his feelings. 

Tommy had once made the mistake of leaving one of Kim's mass mailed correspondences out one time, and the guys had picked it up almost immediately. Thankfully Kim had always made sure never to directly reference any of their past lives as rangers, so Tommy hadn't had to worry about their secret getting out. Unfortunately that particular letter had contained pictures from one of the girls' vacations to one of the French Riviera's topless beaches. Even though none of the pictures showed anything too revealing of the girls, the photos had really stirred the crew up. _They weren't the only ones_, Tommy reminded himself thinking of his own reaction to seeing Kim and Kat posing for the camera arm in arm in nothing but bikinis.

Now every time he got a new letter he had to share it with the crew. The guys always got a kick out of Kim's rambling glorified portrayal of his friends' lives. She always made every event seem like it was the most important thing to talk about. Every time Jason, Rocky or Tanya passed their exams, they heard about it. When Aisha got back from Africa and finished her GED, they heard about it. When Justin fell head over heals for a girl, they heard about it. When Trini got the measles and Zack had to nurse her through it, they heard about it. There was nothing that Kim didn't talk about in her letters, and it always surprised him when he would read about himself.

Kim's letters were mailed to all the rangers, despite the fact that she talked to most of them on the phone or emailed them regularly. She had said that it was because she could never keep track of what she told whom so she just covered all her bases by sending them all the same letter with the salutation always being 'Hey Guys!' Even though Tommy had infrequent contact with the other rangers (which was usually mentioned in the letters) Kim always seemed to find out things about him. 

Like the time he got a ticket for parking in a red zone while trying to help a little old lady pick up the groceries she had drop, or the time that he got lost on the way to a race and almost missed it. She always included the other stuff like what races he was in the time and date, but that information was something that anyone could get. He had suspected years ago that either Kimberly or Katherine still kept in contact with his mother, but as of yet, he hadn't had the courage to directly ask his mother if it was true. In a way he didn't want to be disappointed to find out it wasn't Kim asking about him.

"So, Oliver what you got in trade for your keys?" Ricky asked.

"I'll let you use my trailer for the whole time I'm gone," Tommy offered, unable to think of anything else.

"Damn, boy! You must be desperate to get back home!" Ricky exclaimed, tossing the keys that he had had in his pocket to their owner. 

"Just leave the guy alone, Rick." Jim grumbled. "It's the first time he's seen his friends in a year."

"Yeah, and I hope I still remember where Jase lives," Tommy confessed to the crew.

"Well, ya know where he works, just show up there." Ricky suggested.

"Probably going to have to. By the time I get to Angel Grove it's going to be lunchtime. See you guys later." Tommy called back to them as he jogged back to his car. They yelled back for him to drive careful and he waved back as he pulled away.

It was going to take Tommy almost three hours to get to Angel Grove. Hardly anytime at all when you consider that he spent that much time twice a week, just going around in circles. Tommy settled himself into his seat, rolled down the window and turned on the radio in an attempt to not let himself drift into his driving zone. The almost meditative state that he had dubbed his 'driving zone' allowed Tommy to be aware of all the other drivers on the track in relation to himself. It wasn't an overly aggressive posture, in fact it was one of the reasons he had only won one race, but Tommy held an industry record because of it. Four years and Tommy hadn't crashed, not even once and he still managed to make his presence known in the standings. While the 'zone' was great for racing, where your only choice is to go left, it did not suit well for everyday driving that involved right turns and off-ramps.

Tommy wasn't too concerned about finding his way to Angel Grove. He had made the trip many times over the course of four years, from various locations. It was once he got into the city limits that he needed to pay closer attention. About two years ago, Angel Grove had ceased being a target of monster attacks. In fact, from what Tommy gathered from the news, nearby Turtle Cove was the new hot spot with its own set of Power Rangers combating the problem. Because of the newfound peace in the city, Angel Grove had started expanding. Each time Tommy came back there was a new road or new construction making it difficult for him to maneuver around the city. After an entire year passing, Tommy was sure that there would be new surprises waiting for him in downtown Angel Grove.

End part 5


End file.
